Steel and Silver
by killertie424
Summary: Jaune Arc went missing 5 years ago. Some say he ran away, some say he was kidnapped. The Arc family certainly won't say anything about it. But when he appears, on the day of Beacon's initiation with two swords on his back and no memory of who he is, all will know the tale of the white wolf.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I am using elements of the Witcher series, but not a direct crossover. A/U For those of you who don't know anything about the Witcher games, this should still make sense. I'll explain and explore the ideas that have been imported into the RWBY universe. Hopefully it will still be enjoyable.**

 **ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!** ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

 **If you don't want to read the prologue, the main story with Jaune starts next chapter. That is all.**

 **I don't own RWBY or the Witcher**

* * *

 **Prologue: The Yellow Death always Remembers**

"Tell me young man, would you like to go back to the world tortured and unsatisfied, doing what you know will just result in the same outcome? Or would you like to enter _this_ world and make something of yourself?" - Ozpin, to Jaune Arc

 **The Great War - 80 years prior**

Dorian Arc stood over the battlefield. He watched with sullen blue eyes as smoke rose over the valleys of rock and sand. He stood atop a mountain that the Valean army was using as a base of operations. Here it was, Mantle and Mistral's campaign against the desert lands of Vacuo.

He would need to fight soon. They all would. Grimm had broken out between their skirmish. Naturally, humanity had united, if only to quell the far greater enemy. Once the beasts had been slain. They had gone back to how it truly was. People fell back into their ranks.

He and the other generals had agreed to a ceasefire soon after. Now would be a good time to collect the dead. Dorian did not hate the other generals, nor did he hate the soldiers that slaughtered his men. In fact he held respect for them. Especially when a call had come from the other side suggesting the brief cease fire.

They were to have twenty minutes to clear the field of fallen comrades.

Nineteen minutes had passed. He watched with a sigh as the seconds passed from fifty-nine, back down to zero-zero. It was time.

A call came in, he knew who it was from. He answered.

"It's time Dorian."

He felt the life drain out of him. What had he been expecting? Some message that maybe they could stop. End the war. Be at peace once more, all four kingdoms united. It was foolish of him to hope. But he didn't care. In war, hope was all he had left.

"I know, shall we commence?"

The voice on the other end of the line gave back a solemn reply.

"Yes."

The call ended and he turned to face the battlefield once more. With a final sigh, he rallied the men and women under his command. The some thirty thousand he led all let loose a thunderous battle cry as they stormed onward. He watched as the opposing side came to meet them, the same amount of bloody fervor in their eyes.

Dorian reached at his side and felt the familiar hilt. In a flash he drew his sword with a rasp of steel. It was time to put crocea mors to good use. This blade had been forged for this war. He would not sully his own sword with the blood of his brothers and sisters. The yellow death would remain a relic of the war. Never would he use it for anything else. This was a tool of murder. Let it play its use in the war, for that is all it was good for.

He reached for his sheathe and felt it's comforting weight as it spread into a shield bearing his family's crest.

He would fight. He would not stand by and watch as his comrades died. General or not, first of all an Arc was a warrior.

The clash had begun. He could no longer see the frontlines as they were masked by the dust cloud of sand that had been wrought up. Dorian took in a deep breath. He felt the aura creep into his legs as he prepared himself.

In an instant he was gone. He leapt from the mountain, his legs infused with aura as he sailed down to the front lines. He landed with an earth shattering thud as he left a small crater in Mantle's forces with a flash of white light. His aura had taken a hit and his legs wobbled like that of a decrepit old man. He pulled himself together in time to duck the swing of a battle axe as it sailed above his head. Dorian spun in place letting the momentum build up his strike as he cleaved straight through the man's knees with a purple flash.

Blood spewed from the legless stumps as the attacker screamed and fell to the ground joining his fallen brethren. The screams were drowned out from the cacophony of the war around him. Dorian could not be more grateful for that fact.

For a moment, he glanced down at the blood stained blade he held in his hands. Crocea mors was truly created for war. Not against grimm, but against his fellow humans. For it was a blade like no other. A blade that could pass right through aura.

He remembered that flash of purple as he took that man's legs. His aura had exploded as he severed the limbs.

With a slight he grimace, he continued. Dorian cut down anyone in his path, he had to make it back to his troops. He had overshot the frontlines. He was close by as he was masked by the dust cloud, but he was certainly in Mantle's territory.

Through the dust, he caught sight of hell. Hell came in the form of a large silver cannon that spat acidic shells. Ammunition from that cannon could eat through a decent sized aura reserve in seconds. Damn Mantle for creating such a weapon. They always had to come up with new more efficient ways of killing each other. Change of plans.

The cannon was on the eastern side of the battlefield, placed on a mid-high point along a mountain. He took off running, his blade ending those in his way. Most did not expect him there, so it was easy kill after kill. Dorian was a general, but he did not wear some fancy decorations. He wore his plate, and that was good enough. He appeared to the world as just another soldier. And essentially, that is what he was.

Normally he would have taken men with him and coordinated an attack against the rising threat, but there was no time. The cannon would start firing any moment now.

He reached the base of the mountain, having left a trail of carnage behind him. A sudden clank signaled followed by a thundering explosion. The cannon fired a single shot into the midline of his forces. A pale shell exploded into a mess of sickly acidic green. A dent in his men and the sight of them writhing in agonizing pain, their aura's being eaten alive, drove him into rage. Fucking Mantle.

Dorian let his aura pour into his legs once more as he prepared for the leap. There was no boom, or dramatic sound of him taking off. There was merely a displacement of air as he was soon upon the mountains ledge, the cannon's crew drawing their weapons.

There were six of them, three guards, and three to operate the mass of metal death. Each with swords of their own. Dorian raised his shield and charged into the fray. There was six on one, none of them expected him to take the initiative. He slammed his shield into one of them, knocking them down as he fluidly carried his momentum into the mountain's side and used it to jump back. The sound of steel on stone rang out as he had dodged the attack.

He spun mid air and caught another off guard, taking his head with a mighty roar. He landed feet skimming the ground as he slid into place in front of them, back where he started. The remaining four still active shared wary glances, and for good reason too. They had come to realize the warrior they faced was Dorian Arc, general of the Valean army and a warrior unrivaled. He has won every battle that he took part in, often being the deciding factor on who was left standing at the end of the day.

He did not smile. Dorian never smiled in war. The looks the enemy soldiers gave him, he hated that. They feared him.

He wasted no time. He changed once more. The soldiers a bit more prepared this time, came at him. Dorian ducked the first vertical swing and kneeled into parry the next one's blade with his shield. It skidded off at the right angle and slammed into his comrades leg. Aura prevented it from going through, but enough to halt the man as Dorian came up from his kneeling in a powerful uppercut. Crocea mors went straight through the man's entire body, splitting him in two.

The fourth soldier stumbled back and fell over as he swiped at him with a quick vertical slash. The soldier held fear in his eyes as he turned and fled down a passage into the mountains. Smart. Dorian was all for patriotism, but dying for something like this? He understood.

He sensed another strike in coming, and rolled to his left. He came up in time to deflect the downward strike of his opponent, driving it into the mountain's base. Dorian took the opportunity and struck his enemy twice. Once across the hands, severing them before spinning around him to drive crocea mors into his back. He pulled his sword from the corpse and the body slumped to the floor.

Five down, one to go.

The last opponent stared him down, his pale blue eyes meeting his darker ones. This one was different. He had sensed it from the start. They had always attacked, but knew clearly how to dodge efficiently. This was no foot soldier.

White and blue trimmed their uniform, along with that was the symbol of snowflake. He knew who he was fighting. If the shiny thin saber was any indication, he knew now. They spoke as they circled each other, the bodies of his foes still lying between them.

"It's nice to see you Dorian."

He felt bile rise to his throat and his eyes darken.

"Alexander." He acknowledged.

The man across from him, white haired, feigned hurt.

"Is that all you have to say to an old friend? How you wound me so."

Dorian growled.

"Stand down Alexander. I have no patience for your jests. Either flee, or fight me."

Alexander stopped, his feet stiff and his muscled tensed.

"I thought you'd know me better by now."

In a flash of white, he was on him. His saber came to collect Dorian's head. He caught the blow barely on his cross guard, and skidded back from the force. They were close, locked in a struggle of might.

"I never flee." Alexander whispered between blades.

Dorian shoved him back, using his shield arm. Alexander fell back, landing on is feet gracefully. Dorian rushed him, his sword in a lunge. Alexander parried it and went for a slash of his own, only to be halted by his shield. Dorian let loose his strength and the blade whistled across empty air. He had evaded the blow, but was not in time to dodge Dorian's left as he felt a solid wall of metal crash into him.

They traded blow for blow, it was duel that they were used to. Many times they had encountered each other, and each time would end in a stalemate.

Eventually, Alexander's' aura burst, breaking as he was slammed into the far side wall of the cave. He coughed up a dribble of blood, but stood up regardless. A brilliant smile came across his face. The white haired man sheathed his weapon.

What was he up to?

Dorian wouldn't give him the chance to pull something. He was so close to ending this once and for all. He surged forward, a diagonal slash coming to cut the man down. At the last second, he drew his sword and deflected his strike with a flash of green. His blade sailed off course and that knocked him off balance. Dorian stumbled to catch his footing only to feel the sting of a blade grinding into his aura. He fell to his stomach, the saber's point digging into a chink in his plate.

Alexander kicked crocea mors from his hand and stomped on his shield arm till he finally released it. He was bare, exposed.

"Like this new dust Dorian? It's a modified version of what we use in those cannons over there. Father and some egg heads whipped it up. Says markets will be booming once Mantle wins the war and he can establish his company."

Dorian grunted as the blade went further, testing his aura reserves like nothing else. He could feel it, the dust eating, absorbing his aura. The dust he was using was originally used for siphoning energy, however it seems they found a way to alter it so that it may also take the energy of another person. It shown with a malicious pale green, not unlike those shells they fired from the cannons.

He looked to his right, there it was, crocea mors, the blade of war, the yellow death, it was inches from his grasp.

"And I will do anything to make to make sure his plans come to fruition."

The blade suddenly, without hesitation, was slammed into his back. It had eaten through his aura finally. He let loose a strangled cry as blood soon filled his mouth. Dorian spit it out onto his tormentors boots.

"Aghh, look what you've done now. This won't do, not at all."

He gurgled a scream through the blood as he felt the blade twisting. That son of a bitch was toying with him.

"Look it's been fun Dorian, especially when I caught you off guard, how often does that happen? Time to get to the point."

He drove the blade in further, all but pinning him to the mountain floor.

"I have to win this war, for father, for the family. And that means I can't have someone like you running around killing my comrades."

Dorian watched from the floor, his vision fading in and out as the man walked over to the cannon. He knew what was happening. He understood. Alexander spun the giant mass of steel and pointed it down at Dorian.

"If I know my Mantle products, and I'd like to think I do, then I'd safe this will be fairly safe. You're far enough that the blast radius wont get me."

He heard the clinks and clanks as the man above him put a new shell into the beast.

"Ahh, all ready now."

Alexander smiled cruelly at him.

"Don't fret dear Dorian, it's just good business. Regards from the Schnee fami-"

Alexander stopped, blood dripped from his lips as he peered down. A shining steel blade had pierced his back and ran him through to his lungs. Dorian watched as Alexander made to say something, one last quip, only to have the blade torn from his back and quickly used to decapitate him. Blood spewed everywhere as the headless corpse fell to the floor, white now soaked in crimson.

The man who had delivered the backstab, stood before him. He wiped the blood off his blade on his pants before sheathing it alongside another sword on his back. Two swords? He stood tall, taller than him he'd reckon, and he was six feet, three inches.

The man came to his side and spoke. Dorian couldn't quite make out what he was saying, it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. He had lost a lot of blood by now, he knew that. He wouldn't be surprised if he didn't make it through this.

"What?" He managed to mumble.

"This is going to hurt." The voice that came was strong and hollow, "Can you handle it?"

A jolt of pain lept through him as he felt the man grab on to the saber lodged in his back.

"Yes, do it."

In an instant there was blistering pain. Every inch of steel that scraped against the hole in his back felt like he was being stabbed over and over again. Luckily it was over quickly, but that did not stop the howl of agony that bellowed from his throat.

Blood was seeping from him. He could feel the warmth leaving him. The man tending to him quickly tore off his armor.

"This is going to hurt even more, I have to cauterize the wound."

"Just… do it." He whispered hoarsely.

"Igni."

Fire burst from the man's hands and seared the wound shut. Dorian couldn't even scream, the pain felt like a blot of ink on a pure white paper. It was there, it was glaring, but it hardly mattered. It was only an ink spill on paper.

"Other side."

Dorian felt himself being shifted around and suddenly he was face up, staring at the man. He hadn't gotten a good look at him till now. He was an older warrior by the looks of him, grey hair and a tired face. But he could see experience in those brown eyes. However, he wasn't sure if it was his pain addled, blood lost brain, but he could have sworn that the man had cat eyes.

"Igni."

Once more, another ink blot. The paper was getting heavy with its saturation.

"There, you'll stop losing blood. Now only to get you back to…"

"Crocea…" Dorian mumbled.

"What?"

"Crocea mors… we have to…"

"Understood."

The man collected the sword and shield and put it back into its sheath form. He attached it to his belt and returned to Dorian. He couldn't help but think how funny that looked, a man with three swords.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

Dorian felt himself being lifted by the man, his arm being slung around the man's shoulder. His head swam, it was hard to think clearly, but he walked, or stumbled. With the aid of his new friend they managed.

* * *

It had been a long journey, with many fights and skirmishes, but they had made it back to the base. Well, close enough. They were but a few steps from the mountain that housed the Valean command center. Dorian was thinking clearer now. He was eternally grateful to this man whoever he was.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Your name, what is it?"

"My name is… call me Vesemir."

"Well then Vesemir, I owe you a life debt. You may have anything you so desire that is within my possession, or will be in my possession. I give you my word. I am Dorian Victor Arc, and an Arc never goes back on their word."

The man paused for a moment, and then gave him a kind smile. He knew that smile was half there, this Vesemir was thinking. But then again he could care less, this man had saved his life. That was enough for him.

"I think I'll take you up on that," The man named Vesemir replied.

Dorian nodded, and they slipped into a simple silence. They had finally reached the base. Armed guard came rushing towards them.

"Sir! Are you alright?" A guard asked.

"No he is not, take him to the medical tent now." Vesemir spoke.

The guard turned their attention to him and they suddenly went stiff. They looked ready to draw their swords at a moment's notice.

"Who the hell are you?" Another guard questioned.

"Calm yourselves, this man saved my life. Treat him with respect. Show him to some food and drink." Dorian interjected.

The guards looked startled, but eventually complied.

"Yes sir!" they all said at once.

One of the guards took him off of the man's support and helped him to the medical tent. Last he saw of Vesemir, was the guards giving him wary looks as they led him to the provisions tent.

Once inside the medical tent, they examined his wounds and concluded that whoever the battle medic was that patched him up, did a crude, but effective job. He wanted to defend his savior but found it to ultimately be pointless. He was suffering from aura exhaustion, which was new to him. No one had ever gotten past his aura, no had saved his life before either. Seems like a day of firsts.

What had he actually done? What was it the man had said, ig- something or another. Maybe this Vesemir was a dust mage of some kind with word activated crystals.

It wouldn't due to think about it now. For now he needed to rest. He needed to heal. It was only when he closed his eyes that he came to realize how tired he was. The drain left on his body from a depleted aura wore him down. In seconds, he was asleep.

* * *

When he awoke, it took him a few moments to recall where he was, and why he was there. Then it came to him. As did the questions. How long was he out for? Did they win the battle? Who exactly was this Vesemir? Instead of answers, he got a statement.

"Powerful blade you have here."

Dorian sat up and winced, his injuries have yet to heal, so he couldn't have been out that long. Beside him, was the man who had save his life, who he now is indebted to. Had he come to cash in his debt? Does he wish to take the blade? If so it was all his. He would have no use for it once the war was over.

"Yes, a fine blade. I had it made specifically made for the war."

Vesemir held the open blade and seemed to be examining it. He then turned to him, as if asking for further explanation.

"I didn't wish to sully my own blade with blood of my fellow man."

"Quite noble of you. I take it you don't approve of the war?"

"Not in the slightest. I would have prefered to stay out of it entirely. However, this war grows ever stronger, like a raging fire. If I don't help put it out, it may find its way to my own home where my wife and children may be at risk."

Vesemir nodded and sheathed the mighty weapon, setting it down leaning against the bed. The fact that his weapon was close gave him comfort. He never wanted to feel that helpless again, and he had the suspicion that this Vesemir knew that.

"Understandable, joined out of love, and now here you are… a general."

Dorian merely nodded.

"This blade, it was forged with dust, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"A very risky process if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes."

"Most dust can explode or react when exposed to heat. This blade… however it was forged, is truly one of a kind."

"Do you want it?"

Dorian pointed the question simple, but almost like an accusation. Vesemir had been asking and talking about it. Had he been trying to hint to him that he wanted it?

"No."

A brief bit of shock overtook him, but he soon recovered. Who would not want a blade that could pass through aura? Even the mightiest of warriors would crumble should you be able to get a single strike in.

"Then what would you like, I owe you a life debt. And I must repay you."

Vesemir took a long sigh, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Dorian was puzzled. Does this man want nothing of me? I am a warrior yes, but I also come from a long and noble line. I have plenty of money, I have estates and houses to give. What does he want?

Finally Vesemir opened his eyes and met his own.

"I do not want anything, I have everything I need in life. But perhaps my descendants may need something. I do not ask anything of you, only that you and your family promises to give something of your house to a descendent of mine if they should require it."

He supposed that made sense. A man who is happy in this life, but wishes the safety of his family further down the line. He could understand that. The Arcs have plenty to give. If anything, this was something he could agree with passionately. A man looking out for his family, respect.

"I can agree to that. However, it might be best that we draw up a contract. So that the farther generations will know what and why this happened, and what will be happening."

"Yes, splendid idea."

Vesemir drew forth a piece of paper and a pen. In elegant hand writing, they wrote the terms and agreements of this contract. It was word for word what Vesemir had wanted. Something from the Arc house later down the line.

"Tell me, how will we recognize your descendants, do you hail from a specific house?"

"No, however… do you see these?" He leaned closer and pointed at his eyes.

"Yes, quite strange. I take it you're a faunus?"

"I'm afraid not, I have a certain… genetic trait that gives all who are my descendants eyes like mine."

Dorian nodded. He supposed traits like that are very uncommon, even among faunus.

"Alright, and if it's not too much trouble, do you mind coming up with a password. I want to be sure we are giving our aid to the right person. I wouldn't want a faunus with eyes like yours taking advantage of us."

"Of course, anything in mind?"

"The yellow death always remembers."

Both of them nodded. It was very fitting.

"Thank you for saving my life, my debt to you shall be paid upon the request of our descendents."

Dorian stretched his hand out. Vesemir took it heartedly and smiled.

"You are most welcome, and it is I who should be thanking you."

After all, the future held so much promise.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this. I am a big fan of the witcher series, once I noticed the similarities I couldn't help but explore this idea. This is but a prologue, the real action will be kicking off next chapter. Leave a comment if there's anything I can improve upon. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I am using elements of the Witcher series, but not a direct crossover. A/U I had a lot of this pre-written. So guess what, that means you get another chapter right after the first one. Lucky you.**

 **I don't own RWBY or the Witcher**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Those First Steps**

"So Mister Arc, care for another game?" - Ozpin, to Jaune Arc

 **Beacon**

He was left with one thing, one fact. One truth that no matter how much he questioned, it would always make sense in his mind. That thing, was his name, Jaune Arc.

Jaune splashed his face with water. He looked up through is watery gaze and found his reflection. He shut the water off and wiped his face with a paper towel. His pale blue eyes looked over himself.

How old was he? Had his eyes always been cobalt with slit pupils? Had his hair always been white? And that scar, across his left eye, where had the come from? Questions, questions, questions, cluttered his thoughts. But a question that stood out among all was a very general one.

Who was he?

For he had not the faintest idea. He had woken up laying down on a bench, a pair of swords clutched in his arms. The next thing he had noticed was that he was not on land, but in the sky, headed to a destination he had no notion about.

Jaune had stumbled his way into the bathroom, and here he was now. Clearly he knew normal things and social protocol, but himself, that was another matter.

He examined the pair of swords. They appeared to be attached to one another on this belt. From the angle that the swords were attached, he'd guess that the blades were meant to be worn on his back and the belt was supposed to loop around his right shoulder.

Jaune fastened the bronze and blue swords upon him. The weight on his back was annoying, but there was a certain level of safety as he wore them. As if their presence was an assurance.

His attire was just as unfamiliar. White plating trimmed with gold was strapped to his upper body as he wore a black tunic above a mix of orange leather and chainmail beneath. A brown bag was strapped to the belt that held his swords to his back.

Wait, a bag!

He took off his gauntlets and soon began rummaging through his pockets. If these were his swords, and he found them on his person, maybe he could find more information about himself as well. Eventually he came upon three folded notes that had been tucked away in the leather pouch across his belt.

The first was an old piece of paper. He could tell by its texture and the way it almost seemed to fall apart at his touch. He unfolded it, the creases were deep and some were tearing. Old indeed. Written upon the paper was a string of seven digits.

 _Two, five, eight, four, six, nine, one._

What could this possibly mean? A bunch of random numbers? Was it a scroll number? He reached for his back right pocket and grunted in annoyance not to find anything there. Wait, that was a natural response. Something he knew. Before he lost his memory he must have kept his scroll in his right back pocket.

Jaune stashed away the old note in the pouch it had come from and pulled out the other one. The second one was clearly new in contrast to its partner, very new. The page was stiff and the folds were shallow. He unfolded it. Inside he found two names.

 _Crocea Mors and Mortem Argenteum_

Next to each was a drawing of a sword with different crossguards. He peered at the swords through the mirror's reflection. It seemed the one with the angular crossguard was named Mortem Argenteum, and the other straighter cross guard named Crocea Mors.

He checked the backside and found a collection of five colored symbols, labeled with a word beside it. Starting from the left:

 _Purple - Yrden, Yellow - Quen, Red - Igni, Green - Axii, Blue - Aard._

What could this gibberish possibly mean? He didn't know, and yet he did. He felt it, the familiarity. A rush of curiosity hit him and he felt like experimenting. He whispered the the red symbol.

"Igni."

Sparks leapt from his hand in a flash of heat. Jaune tumbled backwards, freaking out that miniature fire had sprouted from his hand at a single word.

"Fuck," he hissed.

Jaune picked himself off the floor. Best leave that alone until he could figure out his surroundings. Where was he, and where was he headed?

Maybe the third note would provide some clues, he'd really rather not go outside and ask random strangers where the ship's destination was.

The third note was new as well, judging from the texture, it was written at the same time as the note with the signs on them. He unfolded it and was pleased to find writing on it, actual writing. No numbers, no signs, english, plain old english. However upon reading it, he was no closer to finding out who he was. It simply said this…

 _Witcher Contract: Enter Beacon Academy. Blend in. Find the Fall Maiden, discretely. Protect her. Payment: 500,000 lien._

Alright, he has a job. Infiltrate Beacon Academy, become a student and blend in, find the fall maidan and protect her. Seemed simple enough, and he was getting paid rather handsomely for it too.

However, this term… Witcher. That's what he was, or rather what he is. He, he slayed monsters, slayed grimm. He took on jobs. He was a sellsword, a freelancer. All for the money.

Yes, he was sure of it now, he was Jaune Arc the Witcher. There was so much behind that word, he could feel it. He placed his hands on the rim of the sink for balance. He tried to remember, to recall anything more.

Nothing.

Jaune let loose an aggravated sigh. He supposed this would have to do for now. He had all he needed, but not all he wanted. His name was Jaune Arc, he's a Witcher, and he has a contract to fulfill.

"Alright, just gotta get to Beacon." He whispered to himself.

He departed from the sink, put his gauntlets back on, and gave himself one more glance in the mirror. This face, his face, was foreign. He did not recognize himself. He'd get used to it. He'd have to, it was his after all.

Jaune opened the bathroom door to find a decent sized line of guys waiting outside of it. About seven glares came to meet him, one especially hateful one coming from a guy in full plate with orange hair at the back of line.

"Sorry," He said in a monotone voice.

An angry shout came after him but he just walked away. He passed through a set of double doors and into what seemed to be the main deck. Dozens of teens were housed in the passage. Windows lined the walls and at the end was another set of double doors. He had a feeling those would be his exit. Call it intuition.

Judging from people's reactions, or lack thereof, he appeared to be in their age range. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. Something important. He stepped past the door and looked at the poster hung beside it. Depicted on it was the symbol of the kingdom of Vale, this symbol also being synonymous with the huntsman academy within this kingdom, Beacon.

He knew this. He took a moment to think things over. He knew all the continents on remnant, he knew all the kingdoms and the huntsman academies in each. He knew which kingdoms had tension with each other.

Jaune knew about dust, about huntsman and huntresses, and about grimm. He even knew the different types of grimm and their weaknesses. A ball of frustration built up inside him. He knew all this. Yet he knew nothing about himself.

Who were his parents? Where were they? That would be an easy question to answer, he knew his last name, it's be simple to search for them. It was more that he couldn't remember, that as parents should be important to their children, if they were truly important to him, he would have remembered them, right?

Regardless, all these question would have to be put on hold. He was busy at the moment. He had a contract, and as any indication to the importance this contract held in his mind, it stands to reason contracts were very important to him once.

Jaune then drifted to the window as a sneaking suspicion crept up on him. Peering outside the glass, he could make out the far away sight of Vale, and past that the Island of Patch. He knew where he was headed, in fact he had an idea as to why he was headed there. It seemed his employer had taken care of some of the work.

Jaune found the nearest bench, and took a seat. He closed his eyes and rested his back against the wall. He would sit here until those doors opened. There was nothing to do but wait.

* * *

He felt the slight sway of the ship as they docked into Beacon's port. The ride hadn't been long, merely ten minutes. However, even ten minutes of shut eye had calmed him down immensely. His pale orbs drifted open just in time to see the double doors swing outward. His soon to be fellow students poured out of it the airship as if their lives depended on it. In some ways, theirs did. This was their life now, they have decided to devote their lives to the protection of the people.

How noble.

After everyone had left, and it was just him in the empty corridor, he stood. Jaune marched out of the airship, his eyes not even affected by the sun and the lighting change at all. Most of the student were farther ahead. He could see the crowds in the distance as they began to file into a large atrium with a stage.

Wait… that was easily hundreds of meters away. How could he see that far away? The answer came to him easy.

Witcher.

It seemed those cat eyes were more than just for show. Those cat eyes also happened to spot an incident farther up the path. A girl in white, a girl in black and a girl in red. Huh, they would make a grim altogether. Those blackened hides, the white plates that adorned them, and those eyes, those burning red eyes. He had no recollection of himself, but he saw the grimm he had fought. Foggy images of him battling grimm, from beowolves to goliaths. He had seen it all.

The white and black attired females had departed, leaving the red girl alone and lying in a small crater. He knew it wasn't his business. He knew he shouldn't. There was no possible way that helping her could benefit him.

But that look on her face, she was lost. She had no idea where she was going, or what was going to happen to her. All she knew was that she was here.

In some small way, he could relate to that.

Jaune strode over to the fallen girl, and soon came to stand above her. He felt weird towering over her and so decided to crouch down.

"Hey, yo-"

He didn't get to finish as the girl's eyes shot open in fright and yelped. She scrambled backwards in a spider crawl kinda way. It would have been fucking creepy to see that same movement in a dimly lit cellar.

Her silver orbs quickly latched onto him and she calmed down. A bright red soon came to her cheeks.

"Oh… I'm sorry, you just started me… I didn't hear you come up."

She ended with an awkward laugh and looked at anything but him, her fingers twiddling in circles. Jaune was still crouched, and she sprawled out on the ground. He felt the urge to just get up and walk away. Was this really worth the amount of social awkwardness emanating from her?

"It's alright," Jaune stood up, the answer to his own question apparently being yes, "I was just gonna ask if you were okay."

"I'm okay, I guess I was just being dramatic. Kinda silly to just collapse on the floor like that."

He nodded as a reply, but apparently she expected or wanted more as she continued to stare up at him while she sat on ground. What did she want from him? To give her a little speech about not giving up and that it's okay to be dramatic sometimes? At least ten second had passed and Jaune couldn't take it any longer. How socially awkward can a person be?

"You want to get up or..."

Her face once again flashed red and she stood up in a blink of rose petals.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

"No problem, my name's Jaune." he extended a hand to her.

"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you," she said rather quickly as she took his hand and shook it fervently.

"Well Ruby Rose, there's a gathering over there," He pointed in the far off vague direction that the students were congregating, "we should get going."

"Where?" She asked.

"Just follow me."

"Lead the way Jaune!" She cheered.

He began walking, and she hadn't been walking long when she asked him a question.

"So, why'd you help me out back there?"

Was what he did really considered helping? He just scared her, then told her to follow him. Truly he deserved a medal of honor for that heroic act. He tried to think of a viable answer.

"Well, I guess it's because strangers are just friends y-"

"-ou haven't met yet." She interrupted and finished, "Funny, my sister says that all the time."

He hadn't meant to say it. Those words were familiar to him, yet foreign in his mouth. They had sort of just,... spilt out.

"Yeah, funny."

He'd like to meet her sister. No way this could just be a coincidence. Maybe she knew him? Someone dear had said that to him once, he was sure of it. Could it possibly this, Ruby Rose's sister?

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how'd you get that scar?"

Jaune froze. He literally froze. He stopped walking and it took Ruby a second to notice her companion was no longer leading the way. How the Hell was he supposed to answer that question? He himself didn't even know how he got that scar. He'll have to make something up.

"Jaune?"

His pale cat eyes came back to life and tracked the hand that waved in front of his face.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for asking, it must be personal, and I mean we hardly know each oth-"

"Nonsense," he interrupted, resuming walking as well.

"Huh?" She gave him a curious look, but followed along.

"I had been tasked with protecting a shipment of dust from bandits. The transport had gone smoothly at first, but as we neared our destination they attacked. I managed to defeat all of them. But then this enormous guy comes in," he makes a big gesture and Ruby's eyes light up, "He stands at least a foot taller than me and has muscles bulging from his body. We fought for an hour, but finally I triumphed. However, he left me this scar," he finished by pointing to the jagged line across his face.

Jaune was surprised. He hadn't even come up with that. It felt natural, as if he's told the story before. Was that what really happened? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

"Wow… you're like, already a huntsman!" She said excitedly, "You stopped bad guys and everything. Have you fought any grimm?"

Jaune paused a moment to think, he didn't know, just as he didn't know anything about himself. But he felt it. He knew the number was up there.

"Plenty," He finally said.

"Wow that's so cool! You must be really strong, I can't wait to spar with you, that is if you want to."

Her voice tapered of from excitement to timid. Part of his assignment was blending in. That meant making friends and appearing normal. He might as well.

"Of course."

The smile that overtook all the shyness from before made his brain to flips. Was this what it was like to have a younger sibling to dote on? She was younger wasn't she, he could just sense it.

"Hey Ruby, how old are you?"

It was her turn to pause, even as they kept walking. In a soft voice she answered.

"I'm fifteen, I got moved up two years."

He was right. He knew it.

"Ah, that's cool," he remarked casually.

She seemed to smile at that.

"So Jaune, are you a faunus?"

The question came out of nowhere. Or at least it felt like it did. Why on remnant would she think he was a faunu… oh… the eyes. Would it be easier to say that he was? It'd explain his heightened senses and sight. The contract said blend in, so he shall.

"Yes, these eyes allow me to see sights that no human could ever see."

"Aww, I wish I had cat eyes," she paused for a moment, "you know Jaune, you're really cool. But not as cool as my baby."

Jaune felt the need to tease her.

"Your baby? I didn't realize you were a mother," he said in the most serious voice he could muster.

Her face heated up and she looked about ready to explode.

"No no no no no! I'm not… not my baby, my _baby._ " she corrected, pulling out the red machine attached to her back.

The red box of metal unfolded and turned into an enormous mechanical scythe.

" _This_ is Crescent Rose, my baby."

The small girl hugged the giant machine of death as if it were her best friend. Jaune had no doubts that it was.

"Very nice, you make that yourself?"

"Yep," she claimed proudly.

Jaune examined the weapon up and down. It must be heavy, but if one had enough speed, the blade must feel like it weighs nothing once the momentum gets going. Was that also a bolt handle on the side? Along with a scope?

"Would Crescent Rose also happen to be a fully customizable, high impact, sniper rifle? I noticed certain parts on her that aren't 'scythe of doom' related."

"It's like you just get me," she murmured, but then shook her head a little, "Yes, yes it is."

Ruby folded the mechanical beast back into its smaller form and placed it on her back once more.

"What about you Jaune, what do you got?" she asked calmly, though he could clearly see the excitement in her eyes.

He made to reach for Crocea Mors, he'd show her that one first. However, just as his hand touched the hilt of the blade, he paused. Something felt wrong, he should not draw the weapon, not for her. His hand shifted over and he pulled Mortem Argenteum in a tang of steel.

The blade was weighty, but not unwieldy. The blade was decorated with many runes It felt good to hold in his hands, something about it made him feel closer to whoever he was before.

"This here is Mortem Argenteum, it may be just another sword, but let me assure you it has saved my life on many occasions."

Truth rang in his words. He knew it, that is why he said it. Jaune sheathed the weapon once more upon his back.

"That's cool, I always liked the classics. But what about your other sword?"

"I think I'll have to save it for another time, look, we're here."

Jaune gestured to the large building they stood outside of. Ruby seemed disappointed but a smile soon reached her lips once more. They walked inside and a cacophony of voices hit them. The room was filled buzzing teens, all conversing about random things. Most topics however were on the encroaching Beacon initiation the next day.

"Ruby over here!" A voice called out.

Jaune's focus immediately turned towards the owner of the voice. There was a desperate need to know who the voice belonged to. Strange as it sounds, and as it was, that voice… he knew it. It was familiar.

His pale feline eyes were then acquainted with a mane of golden hair, and lilac orbs.

"Come on sis, I saved you a spot!"

Sisters, what? How could that even… he didn't even want to know the family tree story behind the two very different looking girls. His eyes lingered on the blonde girl until Ruby spoke.

"Oh, I have to go. It was nice meeting you Jaune," She paused, hesitation evident in her voice, "Do you want to be… I mean only if you want to be you know, um… friends."

The coherency of that sentence threw him for a loop. But he knew the right answer.

"Weren't we already?" he replied with a confident smile.

"Oh," a brilliant smile came to adorn her features and her silver eyes lit up like a christmas tree, "See you around Jaune."

She sped off to join her sister, leaving him alone. Ruby's sister, that girl. What was it about her? He needed to know. What if she knew him? Or about him? Had they been friends? Questions, nothing but questions plagued his mind ever since he had woke up on the airship with Beacon as its destination.

Jaune wandered away from where Ruby and her sister resided, finding himself a decent view of the stage. He saw out of the corner of his eye that once again, the white haired girl was coming into conflict with Ruby Rose. It did not concern him until a finger was jabbed his way. He turned to regard the situation, no longer just peering from the edges of his vision.

The girl in white stared at him, bug eyed as if his existence was a conundrum. She tried to say something. Emphasis on tried. No words left her mouth, just a widened gaze full of surprise and a finger still jabbed in his direction. Ruby and her sister seemed to be puzzled at this as well. Both shooting each other curious glances.

He looked her over. White hair, not unlike his own. Same pale blue eyes, however missing those signature cat like quality. But what was most uncanny was the scar that rested across her left eye. Hers was more delicate and healed, as if nothing but the best doctors had tried to make it so.

No feelings came to him, no familiar presence, nothing like what he experienced when he had seen Ruby's sister. Despite this, he knew he did know her. Or at least used to. The spark of recognition in her eyes were a few steps away from becoming a raging wildfire.

She took a step forward and was likely about to make her way over to him. But as fate would have it, a man with a cane stepped onto the stage, followed by a blond woman.

"I'll… keep this brief," the man began and then paused.

The girl in white halted, and he could see the conflict in her eyes. The urge to speak to him clashing with whatever need she had to listen to the man on stage. She did know him, and if possible, he was going to ask her as many questions as possible about himself. Jaune had awoken on that bench knowing nothing about who he was as a person. It was clear he was establishing a personality, but was it his? Was this who he was before?

The girl eventually turned to face the speaker on stage, and he did the same. He'd talk to her later, he needed to.

Jaune's gaze shifted to the man who spoke. The man was tall, that was for sure. He looked to be even taller than Jaune, that was saying something. He wore small spectacles and had this suit combo of green and black. Then there was that cane. Jaune couldn't place it, but there was something special about that cane. Then again, that didn't really say much. He couldn't place anything anywhere.

The man himself, even without knowing who he was, Jaune knew he must have great importance. This man had somehow gotten a room filled to the brim with teenagers, to be silent. Not the 'slight whispers in the back' silent, but full on dead air. Everyone in the auditorium was giving the man 110% of their attention. That was respect if he ever saw it.

If he had to guess, he'd say this man was the headmaster of Beacon.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Great, a motivational speech. Jaune was just brimming with excitement.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy,"

Well shit, he's bringing out the negative reinforcement.

"in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."

Jaune, as he was, memory missing amnesiac, would like to think he would be used to surprises and spontaneous occurrences. However that proved to be wrong, as those brown eyes on stage bore into his own. The man hadn't even looked his way, it was only his eyes. A chill slithered down his spine, but he ignored it.

"It is up to you to take the first step."

The man in green and black soon walked off the stage, and the blonde woman behind him took his place on the microphone.

That little message was meant for him wasn't it. Those less self assured would have just brushed it off as coincidence or that he was looking at someone else. But not Jaune, that man had looked at him, not anyone else, him. And that message, it was up to him to take the first step? What was that supposed to mean? Did he know about his contract? What was this man playing at.

Jaune suddenly realized how annoying his train of thought was, always saying this man, or that girl. He really needed to learn some names.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready, you are dismissed."

Students began filing out, but not him. The second she said that they were 'dismissed,' he felt himself being turned around by a delicate pale hand surrounded in white. He was unsurprised that the owner of that hand was… Nope! He wouldn't say it again.

"What's your name?" He asked rather abruptly.

Her cobalt eyes widened in shock, and maybe a little hurt as well.

"Excuse me? Is that any way to talk to an old friend? You know who I am Jaune." She replied, irritation, but familiarity in her voice, "Where have you been?"

"Look, just… yes I know you. But if you could tell me your name."

She looked about ready to walk away.

"Please."

Her features seemed to soften, look almost concerned even. He knew why, the voice that had come out of his mouth was not his own. It was a sad plea, like a poor creature that had lost its way.

She seemed to consider her next action, but ultimately gave in.

"Weiss Schnee."

He felt the edges of a smile come to cross his stoic face.

"Thank you, Weiss."

She nodded and surprisingly gave him a small smile. There was something in him that exploded with joy. He said her name, someone from his past. He knew someone now. He looked at her and watched as she then shifted to a more serious expression.

"Now stop playing around. Answers, now. Where did you go? Why did you leave?"

There was a level of hurt in her voice that made him want to wince. He couldn't answer these questions.

"Not here."

She scoffed.

"Then where? We're going to be in the ballroom tonight and tomorrow is initiation. Do you expect me to wait for two days?"

Jaune looked away. Who was she to him? Apparently, he had left her some time ago, but not that long, it seemed this wound was rather fresh. Weiss had said she was an old friend of his, but that could mean anything. Previous lovers could say that meeting again after some time had passed. Enemies could say that to keep up appearances. Then again, perhaps she really was just an old friend, probably confused as all hell why he's acting like this. And wanting know where he's been.

"Come with me." he finally said after a slight lull.

Weiss nodded, seeming to accept that whatever he had to say, was best said in private. Jaune headed for the atriums exit, Weiss beside him.

* * *

Yang was never one to get in the way of drama. If anything she encouraged it. Watching the issues of other people was sort of a guilty pleasure of hers. However, if it involved her little sister, then that changed everything.

It was with this mindset that she watched Ruby's first friend at Beacon walk away to who knows where with the Schnee girl. It was probably nothing, after all it wasn't uncommon to have friends that were fiends with your mortal enemy. She just hoped that the Schnee girl didn't influence him too much.

From the way that Ruby had been babbling about this guy Jaune for the last couple minutes was a good sign that he was a good friend to her. Yang knew her little sister very well, she knew what this meant. Ruby was now already attached to this guy. She would be set on making this _Jaune_ her best friend now.

Yang prayed to Monty that her little sister didn't develop a crush for this guy. As amusing as that would be, she'd hate to have to run a background check so early in the year. Maybe he's a stellar guy, she's open to the idea. But there was always that little protective voice in her head that whispered, ' _what if he's not?'_

"And you know what, he knew that Crescent Rose was a fully customizable, high impact, sniper rifle! He even called her a her, not an it like most people!"

"Ruby," she said.

"And he's got to be really strong, he fought off a bunch of bandits while protecting this dust shipment! Did I mention he has this really cool scar!"

"Ruby…" she tried again.

"You won't believe this! He's got kitty eyes! They're so cute!"

That last almost made her burst out laughing. My my, maybe her dear little Ruby was finally having more on her mind than just weapons and cookies. Yang still wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Ruby!" she announced a bit louder.

"Yes sis?" the smaller girl responded dutifully.

"Umm, how do I say this?" she paused, and watched as the heiress and Ruby's friend walk out of the atrium.

"Yeah?"

Yang thought better of it. She would protect Ruby if it came down to it, but right now, she was nope-ing the hell out of this. Why worry about it now, it was only the first day. What's the worst that could happen? She knew she was tempting fate, but when has Yang Xiao Long ever been afraid of a little chance.

"We should probably go put our equipment in the locker room and get some food. I thought I saw some cookies earlier while you were off staring into your friends oh so cute eyes." She teased making a heart shape with her hands.

Yang watched in satisfied amusement as her sister turned bright red. She also noticed that her darling little sister had completely ignored the mention of cookies. That was a first.

"Yang," she said, drawing out her name, "it's not like that, I don't _like_ Jaune. I just met him."

She watched as Ruby fidgeted with her skirt and pulled up her hood. Yang ruffled her hair through the hood and smiled softly. Ruby shrugged her off with an annoyed "Yang," as she fixed her dark red locks. Yang wanted to say that 'sometimes it only takes one meeting, often the first.' Before you know it you're head over heels.

Yang had known a Jaune once. He'd been this scraggly little kid. Shorter than her even though they were the same age. She thought of the descriptions Ruby had gushed about. That couldn't be him. Her Jaune had been blonde, with darker blue eyes and he definitely didn't have slit pupils. It had been so long ago. Five years if she was correct. How silly it all was. And that saying he had taught her, it echoed in her head.

Jaune, it must be a common name. After all, there were only so many colors.

"Come on Ruby, let's go put away our gear, then you can eat all the cookies you want."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Mortem Argenteum, according to google translate, means silver death. I have many plans for this story, but one plan I have not fully realized is the eventual end pairing. I'll take votes, I want to see who the people's favorite is. However I may end up going my own route. But don't let that stop you, the slightest vote could sway my opinion.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am using elements of the Witcher series, but not a direct crossover. A/U I'm trying to push these first few chapters out as fast as possible. So this will be that last fast chapter. Expect a lull for maybe a week.**

 **I don't own RWBY or the Witcher**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Night Before the Storm**

"You are to do as I say. I pay you, I give you shelter, and I provide you with food. I even let you stay in the company of my daughter. I give you so much, all because this partnership is mutually beneficial. You will do what I ask Witcher, and that is final." - Jacque Schnee, to Jaune Arc.

 **Beacon**

"Alright Jaune, now that we're alone, what is it? Where the hell have you been? Why did you ask me what my name was? What's going on?"

Jaune continued to stare at the statue. They stood a few paces away from the auditorium where the statue of Dorian Arc was placed. Weiss was beside him, her question hanging in the air. Jaune had originally thought to walk further away, but once he had seen the statue, and whose name was on it, he froze.

"Well, are you going to answer me?"

He blinked a couple times, and then turned to face her.

"Yes, sorry, I just got distracted."

"Clearly, but regardless, what's the matter with you?"

"I don't know."

Weiss looked taken aback by his answer. Soon agitation came to take its place.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Jaune turned back to his ancestor's statue and let loose a sigh.

"I can't remember."

He heard a growl come from his side. She was angry, very angry.

"What does that mean? What is this game you're playing. You just up and left six months ago and now you're here! What's going on! I deserve to kn-"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

His voice came in a sudden flash of rage. Understandably, she's confused, angry and probably hurt. But he couldn't answer any of those questions. He came here to tell her the truth. Maybe she could help him.

After his out burst, she was deathly quiet. There was a heavy silence between them. It felt as though the air had become solid, and that he was liable to choke at any moment.

"I… I can't remember anything."

His voice was soft in contrast to his previously brash tone. His hands came to rest on the base of the statue as they clenched into tight balls.

"What?" Weiss whispered.

"I woke up on the airship to Beacon with no memory of who I am, or what I'm doing. All I know, is that my name is Jaune Arc, and I'm supposed to be here at Beacon."

A scoff sounded off beside him.

"What is this, some cruel joke? It's not funny."

There was a part of him that wanted to lash out. To yell and scream. Was this some cruel joke? Yeah it seems like it. Here he was, sounding like a lunatic. He was relying on the one person he knew, to help him, and this is what he got?

He turned to regard her, his pale eyes homing in on hers, a mask of frustration displayed.

"You think I'm joking? Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up and not know a damn thing about yourself? To find out that the life you live, or lived, isn't even yours?"

Jaune let his gaze drift away. The silence grew. He was just about to walk away, consider this a waste of time. But then she spoke.

"I'm sorry."

His attention came back to her in time to see the faint red on her cheeks.

"It was cruel of me to suggest that this was a joke."

Jaune soon found himself with a soft smile on his face. He knew she meant it.

"Don't worry about it, if I had heard someone I knew for a long time didn't remember anything, I'd be a bit skeptical too. If you really want to make it up to me, you can help me piece together my history."

"Of course," she answered, a bittersweet expression on her features.

Jaune spun around and leaned his back on the base part of the statue. Weiss soon followed suit.

"Alright, let's start out simple, how old am I?"

"To my knowledge, you should be seventeen, I don't know your birthday however.

"Ah, good to know."

There was another silence. It seems she was thinking, just as he was. What was he like when he knew her? Was he like this? Was this who he was?

"You really don't remember anything do you."

The question was almost hopeful. She wanted him to say something, anything. There was clearly something between them that he was supposed to remember. It hurt all the more that he couldn't

"I'm sorry, I don't."

She swallowed and he was fairly sure he saw her blink rapidly.

"Well, do you at least know what you are?"

"If you're referring to my status as a Witcher, then yes."

She nodded.

"Good, better you know. Are you on a contract? Is that why you're here?"

Jaune didn't respond, he didn't know how to. Should he tell her? Maybe not about the the specifics of the contract, but the contract itself. That should be fine, right?

"I trusted you didn't I?" A solemn laugh echoing after what he said.

"I'd like to think you did," She paused a moment and turned to face him, "Do you trust me now?"

Her eyes met his, both pale orbs testing the waters of this new development.

"I'll have to. You're the only one who seems to know me, or… knew me."

Weiss closed her eyes, turned her head away and let out a sigh.

"I suppose that will have to do for now."

Jaune found the edges of his lips curling upwards. She seemed to notice and shot him the same gesture in turn. They slipped into a simple silence. It was calm and comfortable, one two old friends might experience. That alone made him feel closer to her.

"Answering your question earlier, yes I am on a contract. And this contract has brought me here."

"Interesting, would this amnesia have anything to do with this contract?" She questioned.

Jaune had thought about it before. He honestly had no idea. Unless there was a mind reader here at Beacon, and his employers didn't want them to know their plan, it seemed unlikely. It couldn't just be a coincidence, he knew that, but could it possibly be? The possibilities were endless.

"I have no idea, but this is more than just chance. Something isn't right here."

That got a laugh out of her.

"Jaune, we're a bunch of teenagers with force fields and we slay monsters with insanely dangerous weapons. Nothing is right here, it's just the way of the world."

"Well, when you put it that way… Anyway, force fields? I'd expected someone like you to say aura, or manifestation of your souls. Where'd you get that from?"

She didn't say anything and he had the distinct feeling he'd said something wrong.

"You actually, you always used to tease me about my 'magic force field.'"

Oh. didn't he feel like an ass now. Just another reminder that the guy she knew was gone. Replaced by whoever he was now.

"I hope my memory comes back."

"As do I." She said softly.

"I'd like to remember you, I know…"

Weiss faced him once more, hanging on the rest of his sentence. She wanted him to say something. He wanted him to say something. He settled for what felt right in his empty heart.

"I know you were special to me."

That seemed to cheer her up. She seemed to think he meant it. What was more surprising was how he actually did. After that, that comfortable silence was back. He couldn't help but think perhaps it was a safe haven for both of them. To Weiss it must be a small white lie, one she can fool herself into thinking that he was still who he was. For him, it was the promise of who he had been and what he has now.

One has never felt truly lost until they no longer know themselves. Even worse to realize this with no one to support them. That was no longer Jaune. As nice as Ruby had been, she didn't have the answers he sought.

He turned to look on Weiss. But her, she knew him. Now and before.

"Do you still remember how to fight?"

"I don't know, haven't tried."

"Jaune, I don't know why you're here. Last I saw, you could trounce any huntsman on a bad day. On your good days, rare as they were, I've seen you fight off three fully trained huntsman at once."

His mind sought to process this information. It wasn't working. Was he really that good?

"If you're trying to blend in, you're going to have to limit yourself. No one here is even near your level."

"Oh. Well, I don't remember anything about myself. Who's to say I didn't forget how to fight as well?"

Weiss seemed to consider this for a second.

"Either way, I guess we'll see during initiation. Do you remember how to cast your signs?"

"Signs?"

"This isn't promising," she remarked.

He thought about it. Signs, does she mean the five symbols on that little page? What was it again, Igni?

"Wait…" He paused and glanced at her, "Igni!"

Fire leapt from his hand in a heat wave. In front of him, for at least three yards out, in a full 180 degrees, a scorching wave of flames licked at the air and stone floor. What was left behind were blackened marks along the ground along with dwindling embers. His heart raced as a familiar sense of power rushed through his veins.

He liked it.

"Are you insane?" Weiss hissed.

"Possibly, but look, at least we know I can use my signs."

She simply leveled a chilling glare at him. Apparently his reasoning was not satisfactory. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. Her harsh features fell apart quickly and she seemed wistful. Remembering the old him no doubt. Suddenly, without any indication, she spoke.

"Come on, we better get to the ballroom."

"Yeah."

They pushed off the statue, coming to stand a few paces facing the stone monument. He had meant to keep walking, but he didn't move from the spot. Weiss looked puzzled as she waited beside him.

"I know him. That is Dorian Victor Arc. I have no clue where he is on my family tree, but I know his accomplishments. I know his life, and his story."

"Jaune," she said quietly.

Weiss knew where he was going with this.

"I can tell you of his battles, of who his wife and children were. I can tell you so much about him, because I remember him. I remember a dead man, some lost hero, but I can't seem to recall the slightest thing about myself."

It was unfair in the cruelest way. There was so much he had knowledge of. So much he knew he could remember. He had a strong mind, there wasn't a doubt about that. So why couldn't he fucking remember?

He felt her hand come to rest beside his own. It reached tentatively out and interlocked them together.

Jaune turned to regard her, their eyes meeting. There was longing in her pale orbs. He suddenly felt the need to add to his previous statement.

"...or the people I cared about."

She gave him a smile, a true one. Something he had the feeling was a rare sight. They had been close, that was certain now. Just how close, he hadn't the slightest clue. He wouldn't lie to himself, there was a spark of excitement in him at the thought of having more.

She let his hand go when he returned the smile. A sign that he had calmed down.

"Ballroom?" he asked.

Weiss nodded, and the pair set out, leaving the ashen memory of stone behind.

* * *

"It's like a big slumber party!"

Yang tumbled onto her sleeping mat, letting her aura take the blow for her. It wouldn't do to be all bruised up before initiation. She watched as her little sister wrote in the little note book of hers.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though."

At the mention of the treasure trove of the male figure, her lilac eyes swept the room as the boys shamelessly flaunted the results of their huntsman training.

"I know I do," she purred.

It was nice and all, but perhaps there was more to a guy than just his muscles. Something like a brain, or a nice personality, or… scars?

Yang watched in fascination as a familiar guy with long white hair strolled across the ballroom. He had a shapely form, muscles prominent but not bulging. And he was tall, oh so tall. This however wasn't out of the ordinary, there were plenty of guys walking around shirtless with the same build as him.

What stood out, and what many people like her were noticing, was the numerous collection of grizzly scars that marked his flesh.

"Ruby, you gotta see this," she whispered.

"Busy," she said not looking up from her notebook.

"I really think you'd be interested."

The younger girl sighed and continued to write.

"Unless there's a giant tray of freshly baked cookies, which there isn't because I would have smelled it from a mile off, I really don't think any of your boys will interest me."

Ruby wasn't as naive as her older sister thought. She knew all the processes of dating and attraction. However she herself never experienced things such as that, she knew her sister did quite often. Whoever it was Yang was looking at, couldn't possibly be that interesting.

"It's Jaune."

Two words. That's all it took and her head shot straight up. Her silver eyes scanned the ballroom until they locked on to the shirtless form of her first friend.

Ruby's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks getting warmer.

Yang smirked beside the younger girl. She knew something about Ruby, a secret little fetish of hers.

Scars. She thought scars were the coolest thing ever. Ruby had once told her that scars were like stories on the flesh. That it was a sign of some insane fight that the wearer had lived through despite the odds. Of course she knew Ruby was too young to really know what her desire was, and Yang had no quarrels with letting her stay that way.

Perhaps it was a little much to exploit her sisters attraction for her amusement purposes. But then again they were sisters. Yang thought about it and found that it would have been very weird if she hadn't have pointed it out.

Seeing her sister's conflicted yet adoring eyes that tracked the boy's every move was adorable. She was finally growing up, maybe she'd finally break out of her shell.

Don't mistake her, Yang was not throwing Ruby to the wolves and whatever malicious intentions they had. She'd keep a careful eye on this Jaune guy. He seemed normal, and a good guy from what Ruby has told her. He'd obviously been in many fights and must know how to handle himself, that was a plus.

But if he had even the slightest bit of harm in store for Ruby, all those scars and experience would mean jack shit when she beat him bloody.

"Jaune put a shirt on, people are staring!"

Her attention came back to reality in time to see a certain white haired sourpuss toss a t-shirt at him. He caught it and agreed, but could sense that his eyes were rolling. He put the shirt on, much to the disappointment of a of many girls, including her sister, and then sat beside the heiress. It seemed they knew each other.

She noticed that there was an empty space beside the heiress' sleeping bag, and that the object of her sister's affection was sitting in it. They were going to sleep beside each other. It seemed they knew each other, _well_. Let it be known that Yang Xiao Long was a master of drama, she could sniff out teenage conflict like a bloodhound; and this, all of this reeked of trouble.

It was then that she suddenly felt the mood grow hostile. She turned to her little sister and was surprised to see a cold glare had formed on Ruby's face.

Oh shit. What if Jauney-boy over there was _with_ the heiress. That would be bad, very bad. Ruby already had her heart set on this guy, she knew it whether it would be as best friends or as something more.

Yang stole a glance back at the cause for her sister's plight.

He sat kneeling, his arms in his lap. She was suddenly surprised to discover that he was looking at her. No, not looking, staring intently was more like it. She felt the irritation bubbling within her.

Hell no! If this guy was gonna play for the heiress then so be it. Ruby couldn't be helped, but her? No way. He could have his little petite Schnee girl, no way was she gonna play second fiddle, or any of his fiddles for that matter. She hated guys like that. She would have to keep a very close eye on him indeed.

His gaze still reached her, and she felt her own become heated. She let her eyes flash red for and instant, a sign for him to back off.

He didn't, in fact he looked more intrigued than anything else. And that was what annoyed her even further.

Up for a little challenge was he? She'd show him a challenge in the sparring arena. Yang hoped he'd make it through initiation so she could teach him a lesson in combat classes. She'd have to talk with Ruby about this guy, see if she could persuade her to find another friend. He was bad news, she just knew it.

She'd have to do something about him.

Yang pulled herself from her plotting thoughts and came back to the sound of writing. It seemed as though Ruby had given up her pouting and gone back to scribbling away. What was she writing anyway?

"What's that?"

"A letter to the gang back at signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going," she said, a smile on her lips.

Honestly her little sister was so adorable sometimes.

"Awww, that's so cute!"

A pillow came headlong into her face and knocked her over. However as she lay there she couldn't help but think that the pillow had came Xiao Long into her face. Okay no, that was bad even for her.

"Shut up, I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone," she said, the last bit looking away.

She knew she shouldn't. He was probably a scumbag and she was just feeding the fire. But that dejected look in those silver eyes. She couldn't just leave her like this.

"What about Jaune? He's…"

She looked over at him once more. He was no longer looking at her, thankfully, and was conversing with the heiress about something.

"...nice."

The way the word came out was strangled at best, though Ruby didn't seem to notice.

"There, plus one friend! That's a 100% increase."

Ruby turned over so that she lay on her back.

"I'm pretty sure Wiess counts as a negative friend."

Ruby then continued to mumble another comment which she thought was discreet. It wasn't.

"And a thief."

Yang sighed, she was her older sister. It was time for Yang to be a confident shoulder to lean on.

"There's no such thing as negative friends, you've just made one friend and one enemy."

Another pillow sailed into her face and she fell to the floor. She did deserve that. That comment could hardly be called up lifting. Guess the whole 'confident shoulder to lean on' went out the window.

"Look, it's only been one day, trust me you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."

It was with that advice that the sound of a match was struck, and their attention turned to a girl with black hair.

* * *

He couldn't stop. Ever since he saw her, his eyes had trailed her. That was Ruby's sister, he knew that. But who was she? Who was she to him? With that feeling of ever flighting familiarity, and the saying he had spouted earlier. She had known him, of that he was certain. If so, why had she not gone up and recognized him, Weiss clearly had.

What, were they not on good terms anymore?

During their stare down earlier, her eyes had flashed red. It was crazy, but when he saw those red eyes, something in him felt deep respect, and a comfort that he knew not of. And just like that, the eyes had vanished, shifting back into their normal lilac color.

She soon looked away and he was left with more questions than answers.

It was all so maddening. There were parts of his life he felt he was a few steps from, but others he thought would be locked away forever in his distant memories. When he looked at her, it was as if he need only ask, and she would reveal all.

"Jaune, are you even listening?"

His eyes trained in on the heiress in front of him, a look of annoyance displayed. Yes, heiress. During their time together so far, he'd learned a great deal about her, again. She also had told him what he had been doing for the past two years prior to his memory loss.

Apparently, he had been working as an guard and general enforcer of the Schnee Dust Company. If they needed a convoy protected, he was their man. If Weiss or the family needed protection, he was their man. It seemed during his tenure at the Schnee Dust Company had put him in good sorts with her father. He had been allowed to stay at the Schnee Mansion, and was called upon for almost anything that came up.

Jaune had been the go to guy, the right hand of one of the most powerful and influential men on Remnant, and he didn't remember a second of it.

During his stay there, he and Weiss had gotten rather close. How close, she never fully explained. He wanted to remember so badly, to know all about her, and what came before her. Yet even as he tried, nothing but today's events appeared in his mind.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

Her expression softened.

"You were trying to remember weren't you."

Jaune nodded. He had to admit it, Weiss was an interesting girl. She was very cold to those around her, notably the three guys who had tried to set their sleeping bags beside hers. However, to him, she might have an attitude, but it was almost forced. As if she was annoyed with him just to be annoyed. He supposed he could get that, she was hurt that he didn't remember her. That's understandable.

But whenever he mentioned anything about him remembering or that he was making an effort to remember. She'd get this look in her eye, and all negative emotion ceased. He guessed it meant a lot that he was trying to remember, remember her.

The nightgown she wore was very modest, but appealing all the same. But most notably it was familiar. He had said as much earlier when she first come out of the changing rooms. A delicate blush graced her cheeks and she simply ignored the comment.

He got the feeling he had seen that thing a lot. Which put further into question the nature of their relationship. But that was the one question he had not asked.

It wasn't that he feared the answer, it was more what the answer was not.

"I suppose that's alright then. I merely wanted to ask you what you plan to do with Crocea Mors."

"Plan to do with? Why would I need to do anything with it?"

"Figures you wouldn't remember that either," she sighed, pausing, "Crocea Mors is no ordinary blade, Jaune. It has a special ability."

"If you're about to tell me it shoots fire or something crazy like that…"

She waved her hand as if to dismiss his idiotic ideas.

"Nonsense, Jaune. It's ability is to pass through aura."

"Cause that's totally plausible."

"Indeed," she said with an icy edge, picking up his sarcasm, "Point is Jaune, you won't be able to use it in spars. You could very well kill another student. Go it?"

"Ah, yes. It seems I'll have to make a trip into Vale as soon as possible to get another suitable weapon."

"I'll accompany you."

He nodded in acceptance, and as much as he tried not to, he felt his eyes and mind gravitate towards the blonde with lilac eyes. She was a mystery, and he was a detective with false leads and unreliable witnesses.

"Hey Weiss, do you know Ruby's sister?"

The question must have been a surprise to her as she took a moment to respond.

"No, and I am glad not to. Those two seem like nothing but trouble. Why?"

Jaune wasn't sure if he should tell her. Without the knowledge of what they had been before, he wasn't sure if saying that another girl was familiar to him was a great idea. But this was Weiss, she knew him from before. Surely she'd understand he was just trying to put his life back together.

"She looks familiar to me. It isn't any one thing, it's her eyes, her hair, her voice. I think I knew her."

"You must have met her before you knew me, I don't know her at all." She said calmly, but with distaste.

Clearly she wasn't happy.

"Okay, thanks."

Weiss looked about ready to say something else when a commotion in a certain direction began. Jaune wasn't at all surprised to see Ruby and her sister engaged in a fistfight.

A soft growl resounded in his ears. For a moment he was convinced a beowolf had snuck its way into Beacon and sat across from him. He thought better of it. It was just an irritated Weiss.

"Excuse me Jaune, I'll be right back."

He traced where her pale orbs stared balefully at. She intended to end their rough housing. Ruby and her sister's. His cat eyes homed in on the swaying locks of blond hair as she dodged Ruby's feeble punches.

He needed to talk to Ruby's sister, however this might not be time. From the fire in Weiss' eyes, he could sense a fight brewing. One he did not wish to take part of.

Weiss stood from her sleeping bag and began her warpath for the two siblings. Once she had arrived at her destination, she seemed to shout something at the two of them. Jaune watched as a fight ensued mainly between Weiss and Ruby's sister with poor Ruby in the middle. It also did not escape his notice that the black haired girl from earlier that day, was sitting nearby, watching it all unfold as well.

While it was amusing, he felt the fatigue of the day consume him. Perhaps it was the strain of waking anew. Or maybe it was his mind, tired from trying to form connections to a past he no longer had access to. It could have been a number of things, but none of them mattered as his eyes began to dim.

He changed positions so that he lay on his back. He had no sleeping bag or blankets for comfort as he had arrived at Beacon with merely the clothes on his back. The floor wasn't terrible, in fact it was comfortable, solid. Jaune had the distinct impression that he had slept in worse conditions before.

It wasn't an instant blackness that had taken him, but a gradual fade. His mind slowly stopped thinking as he slipped into rest.

* * *

 _It wasn't clear, nothing was. Everything was like the visual representation of what he imagined a whisper to be. The scenery was foggy, and the lights streaked across his vision in delay. He knew what this was, a dream, a memory._

 _He was on the hunt._

 _He was younger. He wasn't as tall and his hair was shorter, resting just above his eyes. The signature scar upon his left eyes had yet to be given to him._

 _All around him were trees that stretched into the sky. It was dark, the forest canopy blocked out most of the sunlight. Mortem Argenteum was clutched in his hands as he moved slowly through the brush of the wilderness._

 _He hadn't been on the path long. It had but a mere few months since he had set out from the isle of mists. Despite this, he had already come across many towns in need. It seemed those not secure behind the walls of Vale or Atlas risked a lot. It also meant they were desperate and payed well for people like him._

 _They thought him a huntsman. Each and every town. He wouldn't argue, he wouldn't tell them otherwise. For she had taught him it was easier this way. Let them think you were a noble hero and they will treat you well. Best to not alert them of his true nature._

 _The sound of a twig snapping caught his attention. His pale cat eyes saw perfectly in the dim lighting. He turned towards the sound and found himself face to face with over a dozen pairs of glowing red eyes. He chuckled sadly to himself. They must have snuck up on him while he was thinking, rookie mistake._

 _Jaune had been tasked by the outside settlement of Rivia to slay the pack of Alpha Beowolves that were terrorizing them. The pack already claimed three victims when he arrived. He planned to keep it at three._

 _The eyes around him slowly circled him until he was surrounded. He spun the silver sword with his wrist, flourishing it._

" _Ready to taste some silver?" He taunted._

 _In a flash, darkness leapt from the bushes in front of him. The Alpha beowolf's maw closed in on him as its claws sang for his throat. He ducked down, dodging the attack while sending his own in a curving arc upwards. The blade cut the grim down the middle, bisecting it into two pieces. The beast's remains fell to the forest bed, dissolving into nothing._

 _A smirk rested upon his face._

" _I'll take that as a yes."_

 _The rest pounced on him, he counted them, totalling up to thirteen. He stood calmly, silver blade at his side, as he waited until they were mere inches away._

" _Quen."_

 _A bright yellow shield came to surround him in an instant. The beowolves bounced off the shield, crashing into the dirt._

 _The strikes upon the shield had worked, he felt the power from the kinetic energy build up surge through him. The beowolves picked themselves up and readied for another assault. They were a pack, they attacked together. They pounced once more..._

" _Yrden!"_

 _...but gnawed on empty air. He had rolled beneath them and stood a few paces away._

 _Purple lights in a ring surrounded them, the effects of Yarden taking hold. They all moved sluggishly, the sign slowing their movement. They were all crowded next to each other having pounced on his previous position, and now thanks to the Yarden he'd cast, they couldn't escape. He had been counting on that._

" _Igni!" He roared._

 _A flash of fire surged from his left hand and exploded upon the unsuspecting beowolves. They howled and cried as their pelts were seared and burnt, disintegrating off their bodies. Jaune capitalized on this moment, he charged into the fray, casting a quick Quen shield on himself before he rammed into the first beowulf with his shoulder._

 _It staggered backwards, and he swiftly decapitated it. The rest of the pack had calmed from being set alight and turned their attention towards him. A paw came in to take his head, but he sidestepped it fluidly slashing the grimm's arm off. Another came to lunge at him and he raised his arm._

" _Aard!"_

 _The beast flew backwards as the telekinetic wave slammed it into a tree, impaling it on a sharp branch._

 _He fought swiftly. Power coursed through his veins as he slaughtered the pack of beowolves with a smile. This was his calling, his nature. He loved it._

 _Jaune parried a swipe at his chest, causing the grimm's paw to fly outwards. He let the moment of his first strike carry him into his next as he spun around and slashed the beowolf's stomach. It snarled, looking him in the eyes before crumpling to the floor._

 _He looked past the dissolving corpse. One left._

 _It may have been a creature of grimm, but it also recognized power when it saw it. The monster had watched as he cleaved through all its comrades. It knew he would do the same to it, and so it hesitated._

 _Jaune felt himself laugh. It gave him some sick manner of amusement to watch a creature meant to kill humanity, be scared of him. If even the monsters were afraid of him, what did that say about him?_

" _Axii."_

 _The green sign took root, and a soft white glow surrounded the remaining alpha beowolf's head. The grimm's fight or flight attitude calmed down and it looked at him expectantly. It was ready, it would listen to him now._

" _You are an abomination. Kill yourself."_

 _The creature of grimm, without hesitation, started slashing at it's own throat. Its mighty claws tore out the black and white of its own body until it slumped over and started to dissolve._

 _Jaune sheathed the silver blade and sighed. A job well done. He picked up one of the dissolving beowolf heads he'd cut off and pulled out his scroll. A snapshot later, and he had his proof of completion. He stored away the electronic and turned on his heels towards Rivia. It was time to collect his reward._

 _He returned to Rivia half an hour later._

" _Thank you so much Jaune, we have no idea what we would have done without you."_

" _It was no trouble at all."_

 _He spoke to the village elder. The man was old as old could get. He was fairly sure that if a mild breeze came along, the man would dissolve just like the grimm he killed. He had shown him the picture of the severed head, all that was left was for him to get his pay._

" _Are you sure, that looks pretty nasty."_

 _The man was indicating towards his hand. It was then that he noticed the blood that stained his left gauntlet. It wasn't uncommon for Jaune to loss feeling after a battle. The rush of combat stripped him of touch. Jaune pulled the armor off to find that indeed there was an injury. A curved slit of blood ran across the back of his hand._

 _Damn, one of them must have scratched him. He slipped the gauntlet back on and assured the elder._

" _It'll be fine. My aura will take care of it later," he lied._

 _The man nodded and pulled out a pouch filled with jewels._

" _We may not have lien to give, but Rivia is a mining town. We come across many valuable gems."_

" _That is quite all right. Thank you sir."_

 _Jaune bowed to the elder and walked to his horse. He had left the dark mare back at Rivia. A dense forest wasn't exactly conducive for horseback. He slipped on to the horse with ease._

" _Come on Zwei, let's go."_

 _The horse complied, taking off into a canter. He smiled at the horse and its name. He still remembered the day that blonde girl had told him all about her dog. It had been so long ago. Before this, before he was the white wolf._

" _Take care Huntsman!" a little girl shouted from one of the village homes._

 _He smiled at her, letting the mask he donned take care of all the interactions. Jaune grimaced as the gash across his hand rubbed the gauntlet. It seemed the feelings were coming back. He'd have to patch it up once he was out of Rivia. It wouldn't do for them to see him this way. He was huntsman to them, and huntsmen have aura._

 _It was the price of the Witcher. Lose your soul, lose your aura._

* * *

Jaune awoke slowly. He did not jolt awake in a cold sweat, he merely drifted to consciousness. His pale feline eyes opened to the darkness. It was still night.

He attempted to sit up but found an arm lay across him. His vision was perfect, even in the dark. He had no trouble observing the pale figure that was half in her sleeping bag, half beside him.

Weiss had shifted in her sleep, the front of her sleeping bag lay open and her arm had come to rest across his chest. He looked around himself. He hadn't been this close to Weiss, he'd been directly in the center of the open space. Had he moved towards her?

The thought was interesting, and tempting to go through with. Was this a sign of what they had been to each other? Or perhaps they had just shifted around in their sleep. He didn't want to read too much into it.

He gently lifted her arm off him, and set it down at her side. Jaune placed her softly into her sleeping bag once more as to not wake her. He then stood and made his way out of the ballroom and into the night.

The moon hung low above Beacon, it was exceptionally late into the night, and really early into the day. Jaune didn't know how, but he could tell it was approximately 4:17am based on the placement of the shattered celestial being. The wind was calm, blowing in slight breezes that tingled his flesh.

He took in a deep breath, and let it out. Jaune had a dream. It was something he knew. The residual feeling of it clung to him.

Yrden… it slowed down whatever was in its perimeter.

Quen… a shield that absorbed kinetic energy.

Igni… a wave of fire.

Axii… mind control.

Aard… a blast of telekinetic force.

Images assaulted him and then faded. These signs, they were a big part of his arsenal. But there was something more, something important he had to remember. What was it about him that set him apart from the huntsman and huntresses inside that building?

"Hey there Jaune."

That voice, all previous thoughts faded. He knew who that voice belonged to.

Jaune spun around. There standing beside the door, leaning against the wall, was a girl with lilac eyes and blonde hair. She was still in her night clothes, which consisted of a revealing orange tank top and black shorts. As mush as he tried, he couldn't stop himself from giving her a once over with those pale eyes of his.

"Hello."

She gave him a daring smile and pushed herself off the wall. The girl sauntered up to him until they were a single foot across from each other. What was this? Had she known him all along and was coming to talk with him when they could be alone?

Whatever it was, Jaune had the feeling he was about to find out.

* * *

Yang hadn't been kidding when she said something had to be done. Incidentally, she had been wide awake when she saw him leave the ballroom. It had been that nightmare, again. No matter how many years pass, it still remained to haunt her. She had woken up in a cold sweat, the feeling of shame upon her.

Then she had seen him, departing from the sleeping heiress and leaving out the double doors. While dark, the room had not been pitch black, and once accustomed, she could make out his fleeing form.

She'd gotten up, and followed after him. She didn't have a plan, she honestly had no clue what she was going to say. But she needed to make sure Ruby was safe. Sometimes the nicest seeming guys can be twice the scumbag. She'd learned that by now, and not from good experiences.

And so here she stood, a foot in front of him after she'd gained his attention. It was time to be protective big sis.

"So I saw you looking at me earlier, any reason for that?" she asked in a playful voice.

Here it was, the moment of truth. Yang had seen the way he and the heiress were sleeping. They must be together. That made it a million times worse that he had been staring at her. Depending on his answer, she'd take action. If he made a play for her, it'd confirm his nature, the nature of most guys.

And she didn't want a guy like that hanging around her little sister.

"What's your name? You clearly know mine, probably due to Ruby."

"Yes, she mentioned you," she took a step closer and looked up at him, "My name is Yang, Yang Xiao Long."

He spoke, but the words that came were not what she was expecting.

"Well then, I'm sorry Yang."

What? His eyes were downcast and he let out a sigh. It didn't escape her notice that yes he did have cat eyes.

"Sorry for what?"

He was acting weird. The boy across from her took a step back and turned away from her. His hands came up to run through his white hair. Something was bothering him, that much she could tell.

"Do you know who I am?"

The words came out as he turned to face her.

"I know your name is Jaune and that my sister considers you a friend."

What was this? She'd expected a number of different outcomes as the result of their little chat, but nothing like this.

"That's all?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yeah, that's all."

When she said that, he looked as though a brick had just struck him. What had he wanted her to say? That she's heard of him, that she knows of his talents in the bedroom? What, was he some hotshot that all the girls know about, was he that arrogant?

He composed himself, and she soon was presented with a blank face devoid of emotion.

"This may sound weird… but can I trust you?"

Oh this ought to be good.

"Yeah, you can."

She couldn't wait to hear whatever nonsense he had to say.

"I…" he paused, "I recently lost my memory."

"What?"

"I don't remember who I am, or who I know. I woke up on the airship to Beacon without a damn clue where I was."

Yang liked to think she was a good judge of honesty. She had seen her fair share of liars, and called out most of them. She knew a lie when she saw one, and this wasn't one.

"I met Weiss today, and she apparently knows me, or knew me. She filled me in on some of my past."

Yang was a fool.

"So you and the heiress aren't…"

He picked up on what she was insinuating quickly.

"No, or at least I think we're not. She hasn't really cleared that up with me, " he stopped, and laughed softly, "And I'm sorry for staring. It's just that you look really familiar to me. There's just this feeling, like I know you. I thought maybe that…"

"I knew you," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he said softly.

Well didn't she feel like a bitch. Yang had let all those ideas build up in her head that he was some player. He's lost, she could see it in the way his eyes dimmed when she said she didn't know him. He was just trying to piece together his life, and she was prepared to beat the shit out of him.

Clearly Ruby didn't know or she would have told her about it when she was gushing about Jaune.

"I didn't mean to lead you on or anything."

What? What was he talking about? And then she remembered how she had opened this little conversation. Calling him out, walking up to him in revealing clothing, asking about why he was looking at her in a suggestive tone. She was backed up against a wall. Either she admits it was all and act and her plans to beat him up, or let him have the impression that she had been propositioning him. He wouldn't believe her if she just gave another excuse, she clearly had been suggesting certain activities earlier.

Fuck.

She made a decision.

"It's alright, I just thought I'd get to know Ruby's friend a little better," she said once again in that playful tone.

She leaned closer to him giving him a generous view of certain assets.

"There's no need to do that, I know the whole seduction thing was a hoax, just felt like teasing you a bit with that 'leading on' thing."

"Oh."

She stepped back and fixed her tank top so she was in a more modest condition.

"Look whatever true reasons you had to come talk to me, is your business, I won't pry."

Thank Monty for that. It seemed Jaune was more perceptive than she thought. Maybe she would tell him one day, when they were on better terms. But not today. Telling him the real reason would mean telling him about Ruby's little crush. She couldn't do that to her baby sister.

Jaune seemed like a good guy. She wouldn't want to get in the way of anything now. However the amnesia thing might be a problem, but she was sure Ruby wouldn't mind.

"Let's just start over, you and me. My name is Yang Xiao Long."

She stuck her hand out, and he caught it with a firm shake.

"Jaune Arc, short sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it."

Her hand fell limp and the handshake died.

What did he just say? Jaune Arc?

Her Jaune had said that. That little awkward kid with a mess of blonde hair. The name, the saying, all the same. But… this couldn't be him. He was too different. Those pale eyes looking back at her, filled to the brim with confusion. They had slit pupils. Her Jaune wasn't a faunus.

But this Jaune had lost his memory. Could this be him? After all those years? Could it be possible for a person to change that much?

"Sorry, too forward? I was only joking. If I'm honest I don't even know where that came from. It just felt right, saying that to you."

She wanted it to be him. It was too much of a coincidence now. What he had just said confirmed it. Yang wouldn't say anything. Not until she was certain.

"No it's alright. You just caught me off guard."

Yang knew he could tell if she was lying. That's why this worked. It was true, his statement had caught her off guard, just not in the way he thinks.

"Alright."

There was a pregnant pause. They just stood across each other, both examining the other for different reasons. Yang was the first to break the silence.

"Come on lady killer, we should head back inside I could use a couple more hours at sleep."

He nodded in agreement as she walked past him.

"Sounds good, but… lady killer?"

Yang stopped and turned to face him with a grin.

"Oh you must be one with that line you just pulled, truly you are a heart breaker. I'm sure countless young maidens have awoken to an empty bed and the sight of you hopping out of their window."

She spun around and continued to the doors.

"You know me so well," he monotoned.

Yang laughed at that, and opened the door, slipping into the dark room with him close behind. She didn't know him, or at least didn't know him now if her suspicions turned out to be correct. But she had the feeling that she would soon.

And that brought a spark of joy to her that even she didn't expect.

* * *

 **A/N: So here is the last quick update. Hope you like it. I was planning on making this a lot shorter, but I thought I'd treat you to more. There are a lot of puzzle pieces missing from the overall picture that is this story. It's not a full cross over because no characters from the witcher series is in this fic, and yes I know about the prologue, and I'm still saying no witcher characters are in the RWBY universe. Make what you will of that.**

 **This story is more of a RWBY fic with RWBY character that has Witcher elements than the other way around, hence why it is here instead of crossover.**

 **And if you miss sword and shield Jaune, don't worry he'll be back.**

 **That is all, hope you like this and do continue to vote it helps with my choosing process. And for those of you who are Arkos lovers, I'll get there. I do apologize for any grammatical errors, I'm the worst editor in the world.**

 **If there's anything I can improve on let me know, I'm here to please. See you in a week or so.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am using elements of the Witcher series, but not a direct crossover. A/U Sooo... I know I said a week, but I couldn't stop writing. So here's another chapter. But, to the point, thanks for all the comments and votes, they are much appreciated. There was a surprising amount of Arkos hate. I wasn't planning on doing an Arkos fic, I merely meant that I'd get to their interactions.**

 **As for the rest, we have a good mix of Lancaster, White Knight, and Dragon Slayer. Still undecided on who I want to be the final ship. I'd like to say no harem or two girls at once. I believe in monogamy. Sure harems are fun to read, but realistically, no that would never happen.**

 **So our dear witcher Jaune will end up with one girl, or no girl at all. Sure there will be bumps and flings along the way, but there will only be one when it's all over.**

 **I don't own RWBY or the Witcher**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Morning After**

"Here, take the bow, I'm sure you could put it to good use. Find her Witcher, and bring her back to me unharmed. Do this and I'll pay you handsomely for it." - Adam Taurus, to Jaune Arc

 **Beacon**

Ruby Rose didn't know how to feel.

When she had woken up this morning, something was different. She couldn't place it, but she knew something just wasn't quite right. And then she placed it.

"Come on lady killer let's get some food. I'm starving."

"Must you call me by that name?"

"Yes, now hurry up. Let the heiress have her beauty rest and let's go."

Her sister and her cru- JAUNE! Her sister and Jaune, just Juane, were friends now. And she knew what happened when guys became friends with Yang. Sooner or later, they all fell in love with her! Of course maybe it was good that they were friends, it'd give her a chance to talk to him more.

She smiled at the thought. But soon came the image of Jaune talking to Yang only and her sitting in the background. What if Yang stole her friend? Yang wouldn't do that to her right? Something was very wrong indeed.

Ruby had no idea when this happened. She just woke up and there they were, sitting on Yang's sleeping bag, talking. What, had they waited until everyone went to sleep and met up to talk or… do stuff. Heat flowed to her cheeks. Half in frustration, the other half not knowing what to think but feeling embarrassed all the same.

"Alright, just let me leave a quick note."

She watched as Jaune wrote something down and left the note tucked in the sleeping heiress' hand. Why he was friends with her, she'd never know. That Weiss was just a crabby flabby girl. She knew that wasn't true, the second part anyway, but rhymes were important when it came to insults.

"You coming Ruby?"

She came back to reality and almost squeaked. Jaune was looking at her, directly at her with those cute kitty eyes. Which just brought her back to the scar along his left eye. It was so cool. She wanted to touch it.

Heat flooded into her cheeks once more as she thought of it. Of laying down talking to him while she traced his scars with her fingers.

"Ruby?"

"Yes! Coming!" She said in a high pitched voice.

Yang was already at the door, awaiting her and Jaune who still stood near all the sleeping teens. There had been a mixture of those awake and those still asleep. Clearly the heiress was among the latter, and she couldn't be more happy about that.

Ruby still wasn't sure how she felt about the new blossoming friendship between her sister and Jaune. She looked him over. Jaune was just a friend, so what did it matter if he fell in love with Yang?

She couldn't help but feel bad. She was lying to herself and she knew it.

"Come on, let's not keep her waiting."

She nodded and put all that worrying aside. Today was a big day, it was time to let Crescent Rose do the talking for her.

Ruby and Jaune soon met up with Yang, and they left for the dining hall.

* * *

"How? How is this possible? For breakfast?"

Yang looked on in mild confusion as Ruby came back with a full tray of chocolate chip cookies. He merely raised a single eyebrow. He and Yang had finished their meals a while ago, and had been wondering where Ruby had run off to. This was their answer.

The small girl in red set the tray down and began munching on her treats.

Ruby sat across from him, while Yang was to his right.

"They asked me what I wanted, and I said a batch of freshly baked cookies. Next thing I know, they're handing me this thing."

By the time she had said this, half of the original two dozen were gone. He was afraid the poor girl might choke.

"We're aspiring huntsman and huntresses, shouldn't they feed us, I don't know, something healthy."

He watched as Yang swatted Ruby's hand away from another cookie and took the tray.

"And hey, did I say you could have that many cookies? Especially before breakfast."

"I think that is her breakfast," he noted.

Ruby looked as though someone had just kicked a puppy right in front of her. It was adorable, in the way you just wanted to hold her and tell her 'it was all going to be alright.'

"But Yang, you said I could have all the cookies I wanted yesterday!"

The blonde took one of the cookies and nibbled on it, despite Ruby's excessive verbal protest.

"That was yesterday, we were celebrating your acceptance into Beacon. Plus you had eaten lunch earlier, a healthy lunch I might add."

Ruby's face shriveled up in disgust.

"Ugh, that… _salad_ … you made me consume. Good food isn't green!"

"It's healthy, and it helps maintain a good figure," she paused and turned to look at him with a suggestive smile, "And those are important, right Jaune?"

All morning.

All morning it had been like this. When they had decided to go back inside after their little outside chat, they meant to go back to sleep. Turns out when one started a conversation with Yang Xiao Long, it wasn't easy to stop.

So they had sat down on her sleeping bag, whispering about whatever came to mind. She was fun, very fun. It was something he'd come to learn as they talked the early morning away. Before he knew it, it was seven am and people were already waking up.

Talking with Yang was nothing like talking with Weiss. With Weiss, he felt like he had to be careful, like she expected something of him. And that was probably true, the heiress wanted him to be _him_. There was nothing wrong with that, but it gave a certain pressure to his actions.

But with Yang it felt like it was this dance. He'd say something, and she'd say something back with the hint of a challenge in her voice. He'd do the same and it felt exhilarating. Like this game that only they were playing. Best of all, he didn't need to worry about being anyone, he just had to be himself, whoever that was.

They'd flirted back and forth, the subtleness of their suggestions slowly eroding until at one point he'd said the words, "blow me." As of now, the flirts and teasing had died down, mostly due the increasing number of people who woke up. However, they hadn't stopped, they just got more subtle. Such as the case right now.

But if she wanted to play, he could play too. He looked her in the eyes as he spoke.

"Of course, a figure is very important, especially when you want to talk to someone in the middle of the night and need to-"

Her hand shot out and shoved a cookie in his mouth. Despite the feeling of a sugary pastry entering his oral cavity without his consent, he felt vindicated. He chewed it down as to not choke, but smirked. He'd won that round. From the way she'd panicked, it seemed she didn't want Ruby to know of their talk.

"Wow would you look at that, Jaune look your friend Weiss is coming!" Yang announced, changing the subject.

He rolled his eyes. Smooth Yang. He turned his head to see that Weiss was indeed walking their way, and she did not look happy. Jaune felt slightly bad that he had left Weiss. At least she had woken up with the note. He'd said that he'd gone to get breakfast and he didn't want to wake her.

Weiss came to stand before him, a look of annoyance and hesitation on her face. He noticed her eyes flick from Ruby to Yang, and then back to him.

"Good morning, sleep well?"

She didn't answer him. Weiss still stood and she appeared to be calculating her actions. Eventually, she let out a sigh and sat down next to him on his left.

"Yes, very well. You should have woken me up."

"I will next time," he said softly.

That seemed to brightened her spirits. He had the feeling it had to do with the 'next time' he promised. She was so confusing. She acted this way, but didn't seem to want to confirm the nature of their past relationship.

However, forgetting that for the time being, he was faced with the storm that was in front of him. Three girls that didn't get along.

After their fight yesterday, it seems that neither party wanted to interact with each other. The tension was so thick in the air that he could almost smell it.

Time passed, he wasn't sure how much of it though, but it seemed Yang and Ruby couldn't take the awkward silence anymore.

"So, we're gonna go to the locker room and gear up,' Yang said both her and Ruby standing up, "You coming with Jaune?"

He looked to Weiss sitting next to him. She had a calm appearance, but he knew what would happen if he went with them. He had already left her once, he wouldn't do it again.

"Go on ahead, I'll stay here a while."

Ruby looked a little disappointed, but Yang seemed to understand. The blond girl nodded and they turned around and departed.

He and Weiss sat in silence for a second. It wasn't the comfortable one like yesterdays. This one was thick and filled with agitation. Weiss spoke first.

"So, you're friends with them now?"

It felt more like an accusation to him than a question.

"Yeah, I met Ruby yesterday. I only started talking to Yang this morning."

That only seemed to fuel the fire.

"You find out how familiar she _feels_?"

That pushed his nerves.

"If what I think you're suggesting is what you are, then no. I merely found out that she doesn't know me at all. After that, we talked a little and became friends."

"That's all?"

He snapped.

Jaune hopped over the table and sat down so that they were face to face across from each other. Weiss looked startled at his sudden movement.

"Yeah, that's all. We didn't do anything that would make me and Yang more than friends. But what does it matter if I did? You don't get a say in who I am with."

She was shocked. And then she was hurt. He could see that hurt turning into anger in her eyes. Those pale orbs were distant now.

"Look, unless you tell me what we were to each other, then I don't know how I should go about things with other people. It's clear there was something between us. From the way you act, from the familiar feeling I get when I see your nightgown, and from the way I feel around you. What were we? Friends? Lovers? In a relationship?"

The collection of questions hung in the air as she looked away. She no longer seemed angry, or hurt. She just looked sad.

"We were something. You were my best friend. You were my only friend," she said softly so only they could hear.

There was a rush of guilt. He hadn't meant to hurt her, he just wanted to know. He wanted to know so badly.

"Was that all I was?"

His hand reached across the table and met hers. Their hands curled around each other. She looked up at him and gave him a forced smile.

"That's up for you to decide now. I won't tell you," she whispered, looking away.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and her eyes came back to him.

"Why? Please, just tell me."

Her eyes closed and she pulled her hand away, a faint smile on her lips.

"No. I won't. You need to decide who you are now. I won't influence you, shape you to be what I want you to be."

She stood up from the table.

"You aren't who I want you to be. You don't remember. A faint part of me hoped that it'd just come back to you and things would go on as they were. I'll be here for you if you need anything. But we are friends. Nothing more."

She began walking away, but stopped to impart one last message.

"If the Jaune I once cared for comes back, if only for a moment, I'll be here, waiting. All you have to do is make the choice," She paused, "I'll see you around Jaune."

With those parting words, she walked away, heels clicking on the floor.

Jaune didn't know how to feel. The last few seconds felt like a blur to him. Had he just made a huge mistake by confronting her like that? Maybe he should have waited it out longer. Seen where his interactions with her took him.

A heavy sigh left his lips.

Whatever had just transpired, he'd have to accept it as well as the consequences. Jaune stood from the table, the last to leave. He better gear up, initiation would be starting soon.

* * *

Weiss tried her best to keep calm.

Her heels came to a rest just outside the dining hall. When she was sure no one was around, she found the nearest secluded corner. She soon found herself sitting, her back leaning against the wall, eyes downcast at the floor.

She had found him, finally after all those months. But fate was a cruel bastard.

He didn't remember a thing.

Sure bits and pieces felt familiar to him, like her night gown. Heat rose to her cheeks at all the memories. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Yeah, things felt familiar to him, but nothing concrete.

He was more or less the Jaune she had come to love. He said what Jaune would say, he acted like Jaune would act. What was holding her back from telling him and letting him come back to her?

She knew what it was. It was the one thing that separated this Jaune from the one she'd come to love.

Memory.

What made Jaune _Jaune_ was not just who he was and how he acted. It was the knowledge of what they were. And what they had, and had been through together.

If she was being honest with herself, that didn't matter to her as much. It was him. He needed to make the choice. The choice to be with her once more. If she told him of their past, he'd either feel obligated to return to her or do so simply because it made sense to.

But she didn't want that.

Jaune had been her first real friend. The person who had started protecting her out of pay, but came to do so out of love. She wanted him to make the choice, the man he was now, to fall in love with her, naturally and without any assistance or prior knowledge of what they were.

He needed to only do that. To come up to her, heart in hand and say that he loved her. That either he remembered everything, or a little, or maybe not at all. The memory wasn't important. What was important, was his love.

But it had to be true, without any influence from her, as tempting as it might be.

Only then would she let herself love him again, because it was too painful to do it otherwise.

She picked herself off the floor, and stood. Her heels clicked against the floor as she began walking, headed for the locker room. She hated feeling this weak. She would have to do better. She was a Schnee, time to start acting like one again.

* * *

"My dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you do not want to be on the same team as me?"

This was what he walked into. He had taken one step into the locker room, and saw the two sisters on the verge of bickering. There was a part of him that told him not to get involved.

He listened to it.

"What! No, of course I do. I just thought... I don't know, maybe it would help you break out of your shell."

He planned to just walk on by. After that little spat with Weiss, he wasn't feeling up to talking with them. He hadn't meant for it to get so out of control like that. It was just frustrating that she'd get jealous and act possessive when he didn't even know if she had the right to be.

"What the! I don't need to break out of my shell that's absolutely…"

Ruby soon caught sight of him and rushed up by his side. Two small arms wrapped around his torso.

"Fine! If you don't want to be on my team, I'll just be on Jaune's team then!"

Yang smirked at that and he watched as the glint of an idea shown in her eyes.

"Great idea sis! However, that means we'll be on the same team after all."

The blond girl attached herself at his side as well, mischief dancing in her lilac orbs. She peered at Ruby from his other half.

"No! You said you didn't want to be on the same team as me," the younger girl whined.

"Do I get a say in this?" he asked.

Two resounding NOPES was his answer.

After that, he tuned out their bickering, as he peered across the locker room. He'd spotted Weiss talking to a girl with really red hair. She paused her conversation with the girl and looked over at him. She immediately rolled her eyes. He cringed internally.

Two girls hanging off either arm, this was definitely the right way back into Weiss' good graces.

He had thought about what she said on the walk over here. She had said it was up to him, and that he need only make the choice. Jaune thought he got what she was trying to say, and as much as it seemed to hurt her, he had to admit she wasn't wrong.

If Jaune was being totally honest with himself, he would have been swayed to love her if she had told him that they had been together. As tempting as that was, she was right.

He had to make that choice on his own.

"As much as I love to be used as a tool for your little argument, I do have to get my equipment."

Ruby scrambled off him, finally realizing how close she'd been and what she had been holding on to. Yang was more composed, releasing him with a wink.

"Sorry, we'll let you go Jaune!" Ruby squeaked.

He nodded with a small smile.

"It's alright Ruby, I just need to grab my things is all."

Jaune began walking towards his locker, but stopped as Yang blocked his way.

"Look, I've only known you for a couple hours, but I know something's off. And I'm willing to bet it has something to do with our dear heiress over there," she said, hiking a thumb behind her, "It's none of my business I know, but if you like I can make it mine by being a good listener."

He had to admit, he was surprised by this. He never pegged Yang for a particularly caring individual. That's not to say he didn't think she was kind, it was to say that he didn't expect her of all people to go out of her way for a stranger.

It was this fact that endeared the blonde to him a little more.

"Maybe another time. We have Initiation to worry about now."

She nodded with an understanding smile and moved to walk past him. However he caught her arm before she could leave. Her lilac orbs came to stare at him.

"Thank you Yang, really."

She simply smiled brilliantly.

"It's nothing Jaune, whether you like it or not, we're friends. And I take good care of my friends," she walked away, but stopped and spoke from behind her shoulder, "See you out there lady killer."

Jaune felt the edges of his mouth curve upwards. Yang sure knew how to cheer a guy up. He continued on his way, searching for his locker.

Locker 421, 422, 423, ah… 424. Here it was... behind the really red haired girl… that Weiss was currently talking to.

Oh joy.

"Excuse me."

The girl spun around, and so did Weies. He felt her cold stare upon him. He was already regretting this. The other girls emerald gaze looked hopeful, yet still ready for disappointment. Odd.

"Yes?" the girl politely asked.

"Do you mind moving, my locker is right behind you."

There was a spark in those emerald orbs.

"Not at all," she remarked pleasantly.

The girl stepped aside, and let him pass through to his locker. He opened the metal box and found the two swords hanging on a metal hook, just as he left them. Jaune grabbed the pair and strapped them onto his back.

The familiar weight settled over him and he grinned like a madman. He couldn't wait to test them out for real. As he closed the metal door, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation between the heiress and that girl.

"I do apologize for him Pyrrha, he didn't know who he was talking to."

Was he supposed to? Was she some celebrity? If so he had no clue, Weiss was 'kind' enough to point that out to her.

"Oh no, it's quite alright. But what do you mean he doesn't know who I am?"

He spun around to face them.

"She means that I don't know who anyone is. You see I had an accident recently and I lost a lot of my memory. Weiss here," he paused and gestured towards the heiress, "knew me before I lost myself so she's been invaluable in helping me piece my past together."

Most of that was true, the 'accident' part was going to be his cover story. It was plausible enough and for all he knew, he did have an accident.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to talk about you while you were here…" she paused searching for his name.

"Jaune Arc, and it's alright. However, we haven't been properly introduced. Weiss, would you do the honors?"

He turned to the heiress. She looked calm, but he could tell she wasn't pleased.

"Jaune, Pyrrha Nikos. Pyrrha, Jaune Arc."

Those emerald eyes found his own pale ones.

"It's nice to meet you Jaune."

"Likewise."

"I'm sorry about your memory though, I do hope you get it back."

He chuckled softly. His eyes trained onto Weiss as he spoke.

"Me too, there are moments when I just want to know so badly."

Weiss wouldn't meet his eyes. He turned back to Pyrrha who looked sympathetic.

"I can only imagine how that must feel."

"It's not too terrible, anyway, enough about me, what about you? What makes you so famous?"

She shifted in her stance, looking a little uncomfortable. Should he not have asked?

"I just won a few tournaments is all, nothing special," she said quietly.

"Nothing special? Pyrrha you're too modest!" Weiss stepped forward and began to explain, "Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum and won the Mistral Regional Tournament four times in a row, which is a new record."

From the look on Pyrrha's face, perhaps she didn't want all of that said. Way to go Weiss. He knew what to do.

"Oh, wow… you must be a great fighter then."

The spark in her eyes from earlier had died.

"I can't wait to fight you in combat classes."

He was then pleased to see it was kindled once more into a steady green blaze.

"I think that would be grand Jaune."

He nodded in correlation to her statement. Grand indeed.

All three of them were quiet for a moment. They merely just looked at each other. Weiss though didn't seem to want to look anywhere, choosing to stare at the floor instead. However he did notice that Pyrrha kept shooting him glances while wearing the most honest smile he'd ever seen. She really was happy about something. Something involving him.

Jaune returned the gesture. Perhaps she was just being friendly.

When he couldn't take the silence any longer, fate intervened. Fate came in the form of an older blonde woman's voice.

"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation, again all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"I believe that would be our cue."

A blur of red flashed by leaving behind a trail of rose petals. Odd as that had been, Jaune soon followed as Weiss and Pyrrha both turned to leave.

Out of nowhere, he felt an arm sling around his shoulder. He was unsurprised to find that the arm belonged to Yang Xiao Long. Other key signs that it was indeed the blonde with lilac eyes beside him, was the feeling of her fair sized breast against him.

Jaune would have to have been a eunuch not to notice.

"You ready lady killer?"

He felt himself chuckle softly.

"I thought you were going to 'see me out there.'"

"Would you believe me if I said I missed you?"

"No."

"I missed you."

He sighed and she laughed, soon releasing him from her hold.

"Come on, we better hurry up, Ruby already took off," the blonde mentioned.

She started walking, but he didn't move an inch.

"Are you sure you wanna go? We could just go back to the ballroom, have some fun. I'm sure it's empty by now."

Yang stopped and turned to face him, mischief in her lilac eyes.

"Tempting lady killer, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were making a play for me. We could just do it here you know, after all, everyone's gone. It's just as empty."

She sashayed up to him, until they were close. Close enough to do something. She looked up at him, and he down on her. Yang was on the taller side, which spoke of just how tall he was.

Her hand came to his collar, the other coming to rest on his chest. A thrill of excitement ran through him. Here they were, alone, just like hours before. Something had changed in Yang. He'd sensed it after their little talk.

She'd become more open and comfortable with him. And the teasing back and forth had only escalated. He wasn't sure if they were even joking anymore.

Yang leaned in until they were and inch apart.

He wasn't sure what was going to happen. It was all becoming hazy as he thought of it. He could feel her breath on his face and the movement of her breathing.

It was anxiety in its best form. The dread before the bliss.

Unfortunately in this case it was the dread before the saliva.

Before he could move away, she leaned in quick and licked his face. He groaned as she stepped away watching his torment. Jaune raised his gauntlet and used the leather side to wipe his face.

"You're sick, you know that?"

"Why I have no idea what you mean," she said cutely

He pushed her playfully, then began walking. As much of tease that had been, he couldn't help but feel amused. This Yang Xiao Long knew how to get his heart racing.

He heard footsteps behind him and her arm came to rest around his shoulder once more. To some the close contact would have made them blush or feel awkward, but to him, it felt right.

"Come on lady killer, time to show 'em what we got."

"Don't gotta tell me twice."

They began the walk to Beacon's Cliff, conversing and chatting about random things again. During this time, not once did he think of the white haired heiress.

* * *

"Mister Arc, Miss Xiao Long, glad you finally decided to join us."

Yang and Jaune had finally made it to the cliff and if the glare Miss Goodwitch leveled at them was any indication, they were late.

"Now if you'll just take your places on the last two plates…"

"Got it!" she called out.

She jogged to their destination, Jaune not far behind. She took the plate beside Ruby, and Jaune the one to her right on the outside. She waved to Ruby and her little sister gave her a small wave in return. She didn't miss the wave that Ruby sent Jaune, nor the small smile and blush that came to her as he waved back.

It had been confirmed long ago, but she felt the need to say it in her mind. Her little sister Ruby Rose, was experiencing her first crush. And it was adorable.

While the headmistress was less than amused, Ozpin simple took the scene in with a calm smile. It was time now.

"For years you have trained to become warriors. Today your abilities will be evaluated in the emerald forest."

Goodwitch took over.

"Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors on the assignment of teams, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today."

Ozpin then took over again.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," he paused and looked everyone of them in the eyes, "That said, the very first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

A small squeak from Ruby made her smirk. She really was adorable, but it was time to grow up. Yang could only hope that her baby sister got a good partner. She knew Which particular partner Ruby wanted, it was obvious in the way she had her eye closed with her fingers crossed and mumbled something about kitty eyes.

But what about her? Who did she want to be partnered up with? Her thoughts drifted to the boy beside her.

Jaune Arc.

Who was he? Was he Jaune Arc, the boy she had met just hours ago and hit it off with, or was he Jaune Arc the boy she had known so long ago? It didn't make sense, but then again it didn't have to. There was only one way to be certain.

Either way, she liked him. Wasn't that all that mattered?

Just how much she liked him was still to be determined. That little display in the locker room, she had no idea what that was. Her heart had been thumping wildly and she had wanted to. She had gotten close, been ready to play along.

But she didn't, they had only known each other since this morning.

Somehow that argument in her head didn't feel that strong. She remembered it like it was yesterday, those five years ago. Sometimes it only takes a day.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path," he looked them once more in the eye, each and every one of them, "or you will die."

The air of finality to that statement shocked even her. This was no longer signal. There were no safety nets. It was real, and she would have to fight to survive.

She wanted to pull Ruby out, tell her to take two more years. The threat of death had hit her harder than she thought.

Come on Yang, she had to pull herself together. She would be fine, Ruby would be fine. She was moved up two years, Ozpin wouldn't have accepted her if he thought she couldn't handle it.

Yang calmed herself down, and put on her normal brazen smile.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and then return to the cliff."

"We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately."

It was odd, but she could swear that Ozpin was looking at her. No wait, not her, Jaune.

"Are there any questions?"

And then it was gone, those brown eyes behind the spectacles returned to the rest of them. What was that about?

When no one answered, he smiled.

"Good, now take your positions."

Yang was ready. She felt Ember Cecilia unfold onto her fists and the weight that settled on them. She loved that feeling, it reminded her of the power behind each and every one of her punches.

She brought her gauntlets up and slipped into an aggressive stance. Yang felt the whirring of the gears beneath her and she knew what was about to happen. It filled her with a rush of excitement. She had been preparing for this moment her whole life.

She gave Ruby one last nod of encouragement, and slipped on a pair of sunglasses.

It was time to show the world what Yang Xiao Long was made of.

* * *

The man he had come to recently know as headmaster Ozpin, was irritating him to no end. What did this guy know about him?

Back during the initial speech he had looked at him, and now he had done the same, asking if they had any questions… if he had any questions. Jaune had plenty of questions, and Ozpin seemed to know he did.

Ozpin knew something, and he would have to find out just what that was.

For the time being, he had to focus on initiation. He couldn't exactly tackle the headmaster and interrogate him with everyone here. Not to mention the challenge of subduing the huntsman. Jaune was no fool, the man may be docile, but he held power.

Jaune shifted so that his legs were strong and ready to be catapulted into the forest. Weiss had been the first to take off, he'd seen her rocket through the sky in blur of white. Next came a number of students he didn't recognize and finally it was down to the last three.

Ruby sent him a final smile before being shot off into the blue expanse.

Yang clapped him on the back and took off.

It was just him now, him, the headmaster, and the headmistress. Ozpin's eyes were on him, and he stared back with a baleful gaze.

The plate clicked beneath him and he made a split second decision.

"Mister Arc!" The headmistress screeched.

He had stepped off the plate. The machine fired off nothing as it whirred back into place, flat against the ground.

There was no turning back now.

He marched up to the headmaster until they stood but a few feet apart. He was locked in an exchange of will. Those brown eyes were like stone stabbing into his own as his eyes raged with a burning intent against the man.

"Do you know who I am?"

The man gave him an all knowing smile.

"Of course mister Arc, you are an applicant to Beacon Academy with glowing transcripts and recommendations. A very promising student."

He snarled.

"Bullshit, you know more. Tell me!"

"Mister Arc! You will leave at once! Come back when you have learned respect!" the headmistress berated.

"It's alright Glynda, mister Arc is just a teenager. You know how they are, prone to making rash decisions."

The blonde woman named Glynda looked shocked, but nodded and stepped back. The battle of wills ceased as the man across from him close his eyes and sighed. He took a sip of his coffee and looked rather unfazed by his blatant disrespect.

"Now mister Arc, if you'd step back onto the launch pad, we can proceed with Initiation. Save your questions for after initiation when you are a confirmed student at this academy, then I'd be happy to answer you."

Jaune's hand curled up into a fist, but he complied. Ozpin clearly wasn't going to answer any of his questions, not now anyways.

He trudged to the metal plate and gave the headmaster on last glare. That man Ozpin knew more than he was letting on. There wasn't a doubt anymore that the man was toying with him.

"Try not to die mister Arc, then none of your questions will get answered,"

He made to say something in return, but felt the plate shift under him. In a second later, he was sent off into the sky, the sound of "fuck you" being lost to the clouds.

The wind whipped through his white hair and his ponytail flailed behind his head. He didn't spot anyone near him, it seemed his delay had let the others land already.

There was a sort of freedom when falling. You didn't have to worry about anything, you only needed to let gravity take you away. He closed his eyes and let himself feel nothing.

The moment ended quickly and those pale eyes snapped to attention.

"Quen."

The golden light enveloped his body and he felt for the first time, in this life, the power it held. He felt solid, as if an Ursa Major could strike him head on and he'd just shrug it off.

It was power, and he was drunk on it.

The treeline came to him fast as he fell and he stuck out both arms in front of him.

"Aard!"

The blast of force slowed his descent into the sea of green. He crashed through the canopy and landed in a kneeling position with a resounding thud upon the forest bed. A crack blasted from him as the quen shield broke with a flash of golden light.

He sat there kneeling for a moment, the rush of the climb, the thrill of the fall and the comfort of completion washed over him. He had used them, two signs he had never once uttered or cast.

They had come to his lips without effort or thought. It was natural to him.

Jaune stood, the light of the opening in the canopy he had made bathing him in a glow. He was back on the hunt, back on the path. He drew his silver sword with a smirk, the blade shining in the light as he marched north.

He was home.

* * *

 **A/N: And here we go! Finally after all this time, he's going to get back into it! Our dear Jaune will truly begin his** **path back to the Witcher he once was. I don't know if I made it clear enough with the initial description, but Jaune has a pony tail. It's a part of his long hair, I kinda just forgot to mention it. My bad :P**

 **And yeah… things are pretty rocky with Weiss now. But imagine you love someone for two years, and then they just forget you, but then tell you that some other person is familiar. That's gotta hurt a lot. She just wants him to come back to her naturally, wouldn't you want to know that the person you love truly loves you back?**

 **Then there's Yang's whole deal.**

 **I'm trying to convey a realistic interaction and exchange. Things are messy. Life is unpredictable. Sometimes you snap once and a relationship you once had is less than it was before. Sometimes you find someone that you just click with and you find yourself taking chances.**

 **Nothing is set in stone, Weiss still has a chance to make a come back, but as it stands, Yang is in the lead.**

 **And Ozpin… that motherfucker knows shit :D**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and once more I shall apologize for grammar errors. Hope you like this. If you have any questions regarding Witcher to RWBY conversions, I'll try my best to answer them, just send me a message. Take care and see you soon!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am using elements of the Witcher series, but not a direct crossover. A/U First off, I'd like to state I know that signs do not need to be verbally cast. For now, Jaune only knows how to verbally use them, later he may gain other abilities such as silent casting.**

 **So for those of you who haven't played the witcher series and are confused on the sign abilities, I'll get to explaining them later in the story. But if you want an explanation now, just message me.**

 **As for ships, I'm getting a lot of White Knight, though Dragon slayer isn't far behind. Lancasters in third and Arkos is a mix of being loved and hated. I swear since Pyrrha kicked the bucket the whole fandoms been a bunch of wild animals regarding Jane and Pyrrha.**

 **I don't own RWBY or the Witcher.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Xiao Longest Day**

"Aww, look at you all embarrassed. It was only a kiss on the cheek, Jaune. You know, I could kiss you for real if you'd like that." - Yang Xiao Long, to Jaune Arc

 **Beacon - Emerald Forest**

All was silent around him. There were no animals in the Emerald Forest, this was grimm country. In this land, the only beast that ruled was the black and white one.

Every step he made caused sound, noises that could attract one of those beasts to him. But Jaune was ready for that, eager even.

There was this burning desire to fight that had been ignited the moment he'd drawn that silver blade.

Heavy steps and a low growl sounded off behind him.

A wicked smile came to his lips. That hadn't taken long. It had been at most five minutes since he landed. He pivoted around to face the approaching grimm.

Out of the brush came the lumbering visage of an Elder Ursa Major. Its eyes trailed on him with a red glow. Its spines were tall and the bone plate thick. The size of it easily doubled that of normal ursa.

He grinned widely. This was going to be a good fight.

The Elder Ursa Major let loose an unholy roar, and charged at him, the ground rumbling with every step.

"Quen."

The familiar shield surrounded his body in a rush of golden light.

The elder grimm came at him with a wide horizontal swipe of its paw. Its claws homed in on him, but he ducked at the last second, coming into a low wide stance as he slashed at its flank with a two handed strike.

This, he'd missed this. It felt smooth, natural. The actions, the mindset. He'd seen that attack coming from a mile away and had taken the appropriate measures to stay ahead of the beast.

It felt good, the feeling of power and knowing that he was far superior than his enemy. He had been made for this, molded into this.

The creature of grimm roared with pain as black ooze leaked from its body. It stumbled back for a moment, but only a moment.

The large beast was soon on him, and he was ready. It took swats at him, huge movements that left little room to dodge. However, he did just that.

Not a single inch of movement was wasted. He moved only as much as he needed to, conserving his energy. His body had done this a million times over, but for his mind it was still the thrilling first.

It raised both paws and slammed down in an overhead attack. He leapt backwards with inhuman agility as the earth where he had stood exploded at the force of the elder grimm's strike.

Rubble rained down, and a cloud of dust settled around him.

He couldn't see a thing, even with his enhanced eyesight. Jaune closed his eyes and listened. It was silent, until a thump beside him alerted him of the incoming assault.

The maw of the elder grimm burst through the dust and he jumped, dodging the beats jaws while positioning himself above it.

Gravity took hold and he began to fall. But that wasn't enough. He reached out with his left hand towards the sky.

"Aard!"

His descent came twice as fast as he slammed his silver sword into the head of the elder grimm with both hands firmly on the hilt. Mortem Argenteum passed straight through the bone plated skull with a thundering crack.

The elder ursa major swayed for a moment before crumpling to the forest floor, Jaune still a top it.

The large mass of black and white began to disappear, flecks flying off its corpse and shriveling up into nothingness.

He pulled his blade from the remainder of its skull as the golden shield crackled and burst apart.

He couldn't help the prideful smile that came to his features.

Jaune hadn't even needed the quen shield after all. He'd been able to evade every one of the elder grimm's attacks. He recalled with fondness his movements and the agility he possessed.

It was like meeting an old friend after many years passed.

The creature hadn't been too much of a challenge, there had only been one as compared to the pack of fourteen alpha beowolves he had slain some time ago.

Still, it was a testament to his skill. He had forgotten everything about himself, yet still the grips of the fight held him close.

Footsteps! He spun around.

"Bravo Jaune, that was quite the show."

A girl clad in bronze armor with a red sash came out of trees and into his sight. Upon seeing her, he sheathed the silver blade still humming with life.

He took a moment to examine her weapons. He hadn't gotten a chance to see them earlier. Upon her back was a decent sized round shield paired with a xiphos.

"Pyrrha? How much did you see?"

Had she seen his use of Aard? It'd be pretty difficult to explain. That and he himself didn't quite know how his signs worked. Since waking up, he'd just say the trigger and voila, one of the five powers emerged forth.

She walked over to him, her emerald gaze trapping his own in a stare. She was surprisingly tall, almost at his height. They almost saw eye to eye.

"Oh, just the tail end of it. That was some feat, slaying an elder ursa major. From the size of it, it must be pretty old."

Good, it seems she hadn't seen it. However, he'd have to tell her one day. She was alone, and so was he. Their eyes had made eye contact.

"It was nothing, I was looking forward to a greater challenge actually," he stuck a hand out with a charming smile, "you up for that partner?"

Pyrrha giggled, and took his hand with delight.

"I've been looking for one for a long time Jaune."

He nodded to her, and she to him. It seemed she too was looking for a good fight. Their hands dropped and he turned to face north.

"Come on, the forest temple awaits."

She put forth a brilliant smile.

"Lead the way Jaune."

He needed no further encouragement. Jaune began walking, drawing forth Mortem Argenteum once more, disappearing into the brush, Pyrrha close behind.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was the kind of girl who knew what she wanted. She wasn't the type to be in denial, she was accepting of everything, it was part of what made her so polite.

She wanted a lot of things.

Key among them was a friend who would see her for her. Coming to Beacon, she had been hopeful that she would find that friend.

She did.

Pyrrha looked ahead of her at the frame of a tense warrior with white hair, his sword relaxed but ready to be used at a moment's notice.

She had gotten what she wanted.

He was something different. From the moment he had spoken to her, those pale eyes had shown no recognition. To him, she was just another girl at Beacon. A fellow student looking to pass initiation.

Even when Weiss had told him of her "accomplishment" he still seemed to not care.

After hearing of her feats, most felt intimidated and would be overly polite, or they would suck up to her.

Neither was ideal.

But this Jaune, this boy who had so brazenly walked up to her without a care in the world. He held much promise to her.

They stepped into a large clearing. It was a fair sized field covered in tall grass that came up to their necks. It was perfect for a pack of beowolves to ensnare them. The creatures of grimm could sneak up on them in the grass and pounce.

Her grip on Milo tightened and she raised Akouo to cover more of her midsection. Jaune seemed to realize this as well. His stance and body shifted into a defensive one, ready to parry or dodge.

A smile came to her lips.

Most huntsman or huntresses their age simply walked through grimm infested lands. They weren't careful. It was this that made her different from her peers.

They had aura, but even so, it was better to be prepared.

Jaune understood that, or at least she thought he did. But from the way his head scanned back and forth across the field, she had a pretty good idea.

"Pyrrha, why don't you go in front with your shield, if something hits us, you're better suited to defending. I'll cover the back."

She nodded in agreement, taking his place at the helm of their journey.

"Alright, let's go."

She marched forward, Akouo in front and Milo poised to strike behind the shield. Her eyes flicked back on him for a moment. A good head sat on those shoulders of his.

However, that head was sort of empty.

Pyrrha wasn't sure how to approach or deal with one of his aspects. It was foreign and out of her control.

It was his memory.

The boy didn't remember anything. He seemed to know how to fight, and that could be thanked to countless hours of training ingrained into the body. She should know.

She supposed it wouldn't be too much of a problem. If he needed help with anything, she'd be there for him. They were partners now after all. And she was quite pleased with who she had gotten.

They had made it halfway through the tall grass before he spoke.

"Pyrrha wait." he whispered.

She stopped, but did not turn around, they were still vulnerable after all. She slowly backed up until she felt his presence inches away from her. They stood, back to back, covering both sides.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

His eyes were locked on to something to his right and her left.

"Grimm, thirty feet from here. Three packs of beowolves, led by three alphas."

His head started swiveling.

"The packs are separating, they're surrounding us. Get ready."

Her muscles tensed and then relaxed. She had been training for this. However, the prospect of facing three packs of beowolves was not promising. On top of that, there were three alpha beowolves to deal with as well.

Pyrrha was not afraid. But she was anxious. Foreign feelings regarding a fight.

A smile then sprouted on her lips.

A challenge. That's what this was. Her eyes came to meet his for a moment. There was a wildfire in this pale orbs and a smirk on his features.

Alone this might have been daunting, but with him… with him it felt like an obstacle to overcome and triumph.

She wasn't sure how he knew, but the sound of snarling soon confirmed his predictions. They came from all around, the tall grass swaying as there was something circling them.

"Do you trust me?"

Those words echoed in her ears as he said them.

Did she trust him? She had only met him mere moments ago in the locker room. Yet still, as they stood back to back, she felt like she did.

It wasn't certain, but the boy behind her was covering her back. And she trusted him to do that.

"Yes."

All around them black masses jumped from the cover of the grass. The white claws were aimed for thier throats. Pyrrha raised Akouo and steadied Milo, time to fight.

"Quen!"

A ball of golden force came to surround them and the beowolves bounced off the shield with a crackle, falling back into the grass.

What?

She looked to her partner and her eyes widened. There he stood, eyes scrunched but still opened. He was concentrating.

His left arm was held out, emanating the same golden glow as the shield around them.

"Jaune?"

What was this, his semblance?

"Get ready, I can't keep this up forever," he grunted, nodding to the dark missiles in the grass heading towards them.

It would seem that her questions would have to wait.

Pyrrha took up arms, Milo and Akouo working in tandem to form the spartan warrior that she was renowned for.

The shield around them burst apart, its gold light fading to sparks upon the ground. The beowolves charged and she steadied herself.

She didn't know what was going to happen during this fight. Maybe mistakes would be made and this would be her last. Maybe the beowolves swarmed them and killed them both. One could never know what the future held, only that it happened for a reason.

Destiny she calls it.

There was plenty not to know. But one thing she did know, and the reason was simple, was that she could rely on her new partner.

Her new friend.

A smile came to her easily, and the dance of battle commenced.

* * *

There was one question that had been bumbling in her mind, ever since she had partnered up with the heiress.

And that question was simple, but held so much.

How did she know Jaune?

Ruby wasn't exactly sociable she knew this. In fact she'd much prefer just being around the people closest to her. People like her dad, uncle Qrow, Yang, Crescent Rose, and recently, Jaune.

Surprising right?

The girl who hated meeting new people, suddenly enamoured by one of them. However, she knew Jaune was special. He wasn't just another boy.

There was something about him, from his scars, to his kitty eyes.

She trusted him, more than she was willing to admit to. He was kind, he was cool, and most importantly, he seemed to actually care for her.

That was worth a lot in her book.

"It's this way!"

The question buzzing in her head only seemed to grow stronger as she sat and watched the heiress pace back and forth.

"I mean… this way! It's definitely this way!"

First, she had run into the girl.

Now Ruby wasn't a big fan of Weiss by now, but she was willing to put that aside and start over as partners.

And then Weiss decided to stomp all over that.

Next had came the encounter with the grimm which should have been a cake walk. They were only beowolves. One time during winter, she had slain over two dozen of them with ease.

Weiss, who needed "order and turns" completely messed up and set the forest on fire.

And here they were now.

Ruby's silver eyes came to rest on the heiress as she stopped in front of her.

"Alright, it's official, we passed it."

A sigh left her lips.

Ruby wanted to say a lot of things about the girl in white. Some of them weren't nice at all. This was new to her, it was a weird feeling to actively dislike someone.

She stood up, brushed off her skirt and looked at Weiss.

"Why can't you admit that you have no idea where we're going?"

In the next few moments, they argued. They fought, they were uncooperative.

Ruby Rose was at her wits end. She liked people. In fact she was willing to dedicate her life in order to protect and keep everyone safe. However, she couldn't fathom how she would ever come to like or be friends with the heiress. How had she wound up with Weiss as her partner, it was like a one in forty-ish chances.

"Well stop acting like you're perfect!"

"I'm not perfect!" a pause, "Not yet. But I'm still leagues better than you."

With that she turned around and walked away. Ruby looked away, down at the forest floor. She felt her eyes become heavy.

Here she had thought that finally she would get to be herself. To spend four years surrounded by a loving team.

"You don't even know me," she whispered softly at nothing.

She wished Yang or Jaune were here. This really sucked.

Her silver eyes came back up to see the fleeing form of her partner. She was bossy, mean, and frankly cold hearted.

How could Jaune be friends with her? The question grew in her mind and warped from how she knew Jaune, to something else. She was annoyed, and filled with a fleeting hope that seemed out of reach now. Was this what her next four years were going to be like?

She caught up to Weiss easily and came to walk beside her.

"Why is Jaune even friends with you?"

Weiss stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at her. The heiress was mad? Good! She was mad at her too!

"Excuse me?"

Her voice was shaking, and she posed it like a challenge. As if asking her if she really wanted to open up this discussion.

That tipped her over the edge.

"You heard me! Why is Jaune even friends with a meanie like you!"

Ruby Rose had ever experienced this kind of silence. It was lonely and full of tension. Then again, this was her first real fight with a stranger.

She would have thought that she'd feel bad about what she said, or even be timid and not even fight back. But there was a sort of fire that had been sparked inside of her when the heiress talked.

"Why do you care? You just met him yesterday."

"So? I don't need to know him for years to see he's a great guy," as she said this, she couldn't help the heat that rose to her cheeks, "I'm just wondering why such a great guy is friends with a crabby girl like you!"

"I'm not crabby! And Jaune…"

There was a long silence after that. Weiss' face shifted from annoyed to hollow. The heiress soon looked down, as if contemplating what to say.

It was then that remorse hit her.

For some reason, despite all the fighting and getting in each others faces, she felt bad. She had clearly hit a sore subject and now Weiss was like this.

She'd never seen anything like this in the time that she's known the heiress. It was jarring. If someone like Weiss could be brought down to this with just a mention of Jaune, then perhaps she wasn't so bad.

Perhaps she knew how much she appreciated having him around.

"Jaune and I have a long history together," she finally let out.

A little part of her squirmed inside. How together was together? Was Weiss and Jaune a couple? There was another part of her that felt for Weiss. As mean as Weiss could be, Ruby felt the need to apologize. Clearly she'd stirred up some things she shouldn't have. But first…

"Does that mean you and Jaune are…"

"No, we aren't!" Weiss cut in quickly, "And don't think I didn't see your blush or how you and your sister were all over him this morning."

Ruby wanted to die. She saw that? More red came to her face and she wanted to curl up into a little ball. What stopped her was the strangled lie that came out of Weiss' mouth.

"If you want him, take him."

Weiss suddenly started walking in quick paces away.

Ruby stood there for a second, taking in the conversation they had just had.

Weiss and Jaune, it would take a real oblivious fool not to see that there was something there. Ruby was no fool. Oblivious yes, but never a fool.

She was happy, the part of her that thought Jaune was the coolest guy ever was happy. But Ruby, all of Ruby felt bad for what she had brought up.

In a flash of red she caught up to Weiss.

They walked in silence for a while. Both teens not really knowing what to say. Weiss probably wanted to make a snark to cover that moment of weakness. And Ruby wanted to apologize.

She knew she herself hadn't been easy. Weiss was right. If she hadn't gotten in front of Weiss, the forest wouldn't have been set on fire.

She was being childish.

Of course Weiss wasn't helping the matter either, provoking her like that.

It was such a mess.

"I'm sorry."

The words slipped out and Ruby felt much better for it.

"For what?" came the quick and sharp response of the heiress.

"For being childish, and…"

Weiss had stopped and she too had followed. They looked at each other. Silver orbs coming to meet her cobalt ones.

"...and for asking about Jaune. That wasn't cool of me."

Another silence came to pass, and at the end of it, the heiress let out a long sigh.

"Apology accepted. And I suppose I too am sorry for being so…" she seemed to struggle to say the word, "bossy."

The fleeting hope had returned to her. A bright smile came to adorn her face. Weiss seemed to pick up on this and sent her a small one in return.

"Ruby, you are skilled. But you lack discipline. We're stuck together now, so we'll have to make this work. I'm willing to be more cooperative and… nicer, if you agree to quit showing off."

"I'm not trying to show off, I just want you to know I can do this."

Weiss paused, and appeared to think things over.

"You're fine."

Ruby felt herself explode with joy and in her head whispered 'normal knees.'

"Now come on, we still have to get out relic."

She nodded back to the heiress and they set off. Weiss didn't claim to know where they were going this time, they simply just embarked into the forest. And Ruby couldn't be more appreciative of that.

Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

It was exhilarating!

Pyrrha had already seen his use of quen, so what was holding him back from using all his other signs?

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

The rush of power he felt in his blood every time he cast sent shivers all over him. It was like having fire in your blood. It consumed you but it also gave you strength that even you didn't know you had.

"Igni!"

Fire leapt from his fingers and consumed the grass and three beowolves caught in its path. He didn't hesitate to kill all three with a few flourishes of his silver sword.

Pyrrha had taken one pack, and he'd attracted the other two. He'd held off the easily over two dozen hoard, picking of a couple, until Pyrrha arrived to help him finish off the rest.

That had been five minutes ago. The fight was dying down.

He spun around the final beowolf, dodging its slash at him, and promptly ran it through with all of Mortem Argenteum. It howled before he carved upward, splitting the beast's upper half in two. It fell limp, the dark carcass only being held up with his sword.

Jaune pulled back it back, letting the disintegrating body fall to the ground with a thump.

He sheathed his silver sword onto his back and turned to face Pyrrha.

She stood a few feet away, blade and shield still drawn as she herself stood over her own beowolf corpse. She sent him a smile, one he understood. Pyrrha stored her weapons on her back, much like him and she stepped closer. He did the same so they met in the middle.

"You fought well," she commended.

"You too."

They stood in a comfortable silence, until Pyrrha adopted a curious face.

"So Jaune, what was that back there?"

He considered his options. He'd better just tell her, they were going to be partners for the next four years. But how could he phrase this?

He wasn't a huntsman, he was a Witcher.

What that meant exactly, he didn't quite know. He knew he slayed monsters, the creatures of grimm. It was a desire and an intrinsic feeling he got.

Jaune had the feeling these signs aren't exactly standard arsenal for a huntsman or huntresses. He'd have to come up with something.

"It's my semblance. I can cast certain spells based on verbal command."

It was clear that she wanted a better explanation, so he continued.

"Like with that shield earlier, I say the word quen," a vibrant shield surrounded his body, "and I can summon this shield. It works two ways. As you see now, and the dome shield. Both absorbs kinetic energy, and I can then use that energy to do more damage."

He stepped closer to her.

"Here, hit me."

She looked hesitant, but complied. It seemed her curiosity won out.

Pyrrha drew her sword, and in a flash, struck him with a stab.

He staggered back, the immense blow forcing him to his knees.

"Oh Jaune I'm sorry."

She was upon him in an instant.

"Are you alright?"

Was he alright? He was more than alright! He stood up to face her, a spark in his eyes.

"I'm just fine Pyrrha."

He turned to face the open clearing and drew Mortem Argenteum. He took in a deep breath, and let it out in a huff as he reeled back a two handed vertical sword strike.

His arms heaved as he let loose the attack in a thundering roar.

The air in front of him was displaced so fast that it came to form a bladed shockwave. The air flashed across the grass, cutting apart the terrain and felling down the first couple trees at the end of the clearing.

His shield burst apart in a blast of power.

There it was again! The fire in his veins that stirred that incomplete mind. It was this feeling that he loved. He felt so close to his memories.

"That…"

He stored away the silver sword and turned to face Pyrrha once more.

"That was amazing Jaune! You're going to make an exceptionally powerful huntsman!"

He smiled at her, though part of it was fake.

He wasn't a huntsman, he never would be. He was a Witcher. An aged tradition that no longer had relevance. He was a relic. They might as well show up on the cliffside and present himself.

"Thank you, I've been through some serious training to be able to do that."

It was true. He knew it. There was this faint feeling of somber pride. He wondered what he had to give up in order to do stuff like that.

Then he heard it, the faint prickle of ticks in the air.

"Do you hear that? Gunfire, approximately one mile from here."

Pyrrha nodded and looked off into the distant trees.

"It seems our comrades have encountered the enemy as well."

"We should get going to the temple," he suggested.

"Agreed."

They drew their weapons, ever ready for a fight and resumed their journey, walking out of the field and into the emerald brush.

It wasn't long before they had stumbled across a cave.

Jaune didn't trust it one bit.

That black abyss was staring back into him and he could hear it. There was a large grimm in there. Something dangerous, something asleep.

The paintings on the wall beside the entrance to hell depicted men chasing and fighting a large scorpion. In short, there was probably a really old, and really pissed off deathstalker in there.

Fuck that.

He loved a good fight. There's was something about slaying monsters that really just put the trill into life. He had no doubts in his mind that he could slay the beast inside. However, he needed to get into Beacon, and right now that meant ignoring the slumbering monstrosity and getting some the relics at the temple.

Pyrrha seemed to be thinking along the same lines and turned to him.

"Perhaps we shouldn't go in there."

"Great minds think alike, let's leave the likely giant grimm alone."

She nodded and they made to leave.

However, fate had different plans.

"Come on birdie! This way!"

Jaune looked up in time to see a giant nevermore crash into the mountain right in front of them, shaking the whole thing. It recovered though, glancing off the side of it and flying away, with what appeared to be Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee on its back.

What?

"Well, you don't see that everyday."

"No you do not."

His attention suddenly turned to the cave. He heard it, the sound of pattering across a stone floor. Eight legs were headed this way.

The cave shook and some dust fell from the roof of it.

Damn it Ruby.

It was one thing to want to fight a giant beast, and another to be forced to.

"Pyrrha, I think we have a problem."

The rumbling got louder and she too realized what was happening. Her emerald eyes widened as she eyes the cave warily.

"Run?"

"Run."

They spun on their heels and started sprinting for their lives. A second later an enormous deathstalker burst out of the small cave entrance. Its beady red eyes latched onto their fleeing figures, and it gave chase after them.

* * *

Yang liked to think of herself as a carefree girl who was generally prepared and accepting of most things. It was something that came with raising a child.

She was no newcomer to surprises, so it came as double the shock when she spotted her baby sister riding on top of a giant nevermore that was headed their way.

She turned to her partner.

Blake looked equally surprised, those amber eyes widening at the sight.

The nevermore flew over their head, and came to fly above the large open field before the temple.

Suddenly it faltered for a second as its right wing ceased to beat in tune with the left one. It spun around so that it was facing them once more. Soon gravity took hold of it and it began its descent.

"Heads up!"

The voice of her sister was drowned out as the avian grimm plummeted to the ground. It landed with a massive thud that shook the earth and wrought havoc on the terrain. It glided across the grass plain until it slid into place a few feet from the temple.

All was silent as the dust settled.

"Ruby?" Yang called out softly.

From the mass of black and white, a girl clad in a red hood popped out, giant scythe in hand.

"We made it! Come on Weiss let's grab a relic!"

Ruby zipped by in a blur, suddenly appearing at the temple.

There moments in time when she came to realize how much her sister had grown. This was one of those moments. She had rode one of the largest grimm she had ever seen, and proceeded to land it by bringing it down.

Yang was more than proud to call Ruby her baby sister.

Ruby flashed her a smile and grabbed a golden horse like her own off one of the many pedestals.

She turned her attention back towards the large grimm in front of her.

Out of its feathers came the heiress. She stumbled off its body and came to kneel beside it. Soon Ruby came beside her and helped the heiress stand up.

Huh, it seemed that Ruby and Weiss were partners. They'd have to settle their differences and their intentions towards Jaune if this was going to work out.

But that would be for another time, they were getting along for now. And that as all they needed.

"Did your sister just come here riding on top of a nevermore?"

Yang didn't get much more time to think as an ursa came charging out of the woods. It proceeded to fall over dead revealing the cheery girl in pink that they had seen this morning. What followed was her male companion clad in green as he panted after her.

After grabbing a relic, a small display, and the words 'I'm queen of the castle,' the girl returned to her friend.

"Did that girl just ride in on an ursa?"

Ah blake, ever the one to question things. She hadn't found out much about her partner. In fact they hadn't really talked all that much.

She guessed she'd just have to get to know her over the next four years.

Weiss and her sister soon made their way over to her. It seemed the front of the temple was to be a meeting spot.

She was about to talk to her sister about how initiation was going when she noticed something off about the grimm lying at their feet. It wasn't moving, it was dead right? Something felt wrong.

If it was dead, why wasn't it disappearing?

As if it had read her mind and discovered it had been found out, the nevermore jolted up, sweeping the temple with its razor sharp feathers.

"Get down!"

She dove to the floor and she caught the sight of Blake doing the same.

The grimm flew up with huge gusts of air as it used its powerful wings, leaving them on the ground.

A trail of rose petals leading from where the grimm struck to a nearby tree told her that Ruby made it out okay. A sense of relief washed over her.

She stood up and looked up to the sky, watching as the nevermore circled them. Everyone present huddled to the temple. The brush with the nevermore seemed to had taken the cheer out of everyone, replaced by paranoia soothed by saftey in numbers.

"Ruby, you okay?"

"Yeah I'm alright."

Oddly enough she found herself also turning to the heiress.

"Weiss?"

"I do not need your concern, but yes I am alright."

That was probably the best she was going to get out of her.

"What about you Blakey?"

Those amber eyes were unamused.

"Blakey?" the girl in black monotoned.

She laughed a little despite the situation.

"Yeah, we're partners now you have to have a nickname."

The girl rolled her eye, however Yang didn't miss the small smile that came to her lips. There was hope for her yet.

"I'm fine."

Yang was going to make another quip, but once again she was interrupted.

On the far side of the clearing, out of the trees came two people sprinting at break neck speeds.

"Jaune?"

Why was he running? Or what was he running from?

Seconds later the biggest deathstalker she had ever seen, burst out of the tree line, pincers snapping, tail whipping everywhere, and mandibles screeching.

Oh.

"Did they just run here all the way with a deathstalker on their tails?"

For a second, she considered ranting about all the crazy things that had happened in succession and how now that they were all here, they could all die together. Her eyes flashed red, but they soon cooled off back down to lilac.

Everything would be fine.

It was then that she was reminded of the nevermore still circling them. It let out a loud squawk and she soon felt the ground shake with the impact of its feathers.

Fuck.

* * *

They'd finally made it to the forest temple. A sickening screech behind him gave a loud reminder of why he was running. It was a shame they had to arrive with a deathstalker right on their asses

He saw them, Yang, Ruby, Weiss, the relics.

They were busy taking cover from the rain of nevermore feathers that were currently coming down on them like a lethal hailstorm.

Ruby was firing of shots at it with the sniper form of Crescent Rose. Most of them had ranged weapons and were trying to knock the fling beast out of the sky. However, it didn't seem to be working.

He felt something in him, a burning desire to rush over there and help them. To help Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Nothing else mattered.

But he knew better, he quelled that desire with reason. If he did that and brought the deathstalker over there, it would only make things worse. They'd be pinned down by the aerial storm of feathers and the ground assault of the deathstalker.

Someone would likely get hurt, or at worst die. They were huntsman and huntresses, they could take some hits. But every shield had its breaking point.

He had to do something to stop the deathstalker.

They were in a clearing now, where mobility would be at its peak. He slowed down until he came to a stop and turned around to face his adversary. Pyrrha only noticed his absence once she was far away from him.

"Jaune!" she screamed.

The deathstalker came to meet him, its legs shaking the earth. It struck first, its tail coming to pierce his frail body.

An all too familiar feeling rushed over him.

In one fluid motion, he dodged the stingers strike, drew his silver sword and lashed out with the blade.

It was like nails on chalkboard. The sound of the deathstalker's pain as it screamed due to the loss of its stinger. The missing yellow appendage lay on the clearings floor oozing poisonous fluids.

He stood there, sword still held in the position he'd struck the beast with. He soon stepped into a readied stance that would allow him to dodge out of the way as fast as possible.

"I'll be fine! Go help them take care of the nevermore!" he called out behind him, not once taking his eyes of the massive creature of grimm.

He didn't bother looking to see whether she chose to stay or to help the others. He had some other pressing matters in front of him.

The deathstalker had recovered, its crimson eyes had come to lock onto him, vengeance in its stare.

This time, he was the first to move.

Jaune kicked off the ground, leaping forward, his target being the creatures eyes.

The grimm brought up its pincer and made to split him in two.

"Aard."

The sign blasted the pincer to the side, negating its attack.

"Igni."

A torrent of fire slipped from his hand and scorched the deathstalkers eyes. It squealed and swatted at him blindly.

Jaune ran up its back, letting the pincer aimed for him fall short as he severed three of its legs. He jumped off its back and landed with a roll as he narrowly missed the creature's tail that struck above him.

He came to his feet a few yards away from it, and watched the deathstalker strike at everything and anything. It was blind, crippled, and could no longer strike with its tail. The hail of nevermore feathers provided sufficient cover to mask his footsteps.

Jaune was invisible. It had no knowledge of his presence. It was at his mercy.

He took a step towards it.

It was time to finish it off.

He ran towards it, charging with confidence. He'd end this monstrosity. It threatened all that he had left.

Pyrrha, Ruby, Yang, and… Weiss.

It was so complicated. His life, this life, was a rush of insanity. His past, whatever it was, didn't matter so much anymore. He was here, he was in the now, the present.

It was time to protect it.

He raised his silver sword and prepared to strike down his foe.

But then he heard it, the whistling.

He spun around and acted.

Jaune managed to deflect the first feather with his sword, it glanced off the silver and sunk into the dirt.

The second one came and he was still in the position of deflecting the first. It was aimed right at him. He couldn't move in time.

He was going to die unless he did something.

His arm shot out and he felt the rush of power leave his hand as he stopped the feather an inch from his arm with a telekinetic blast.

Jaune felt the power in him double. The feeling of fire turned to molten lava flowing through him. He'd cast a sign without saying it, that was new. He didn't have the time to say it, it had just come to him in his moment of need.

A third feather was soaring for him. This time he was ready.

The feather came.

Jaune felt as his right side was ripped apart. It became painfully obvious what he had forgotten earlier this morning.

"Qu-"

The feather tore past his tunic and chainmail until crimson flowed from his body.

He Jaune Arc, didn't have aura.

He grunted and fell to the ground, blood dripping from him as he clutched his wound.

Why the hell didn't that work? He had wanted to form a quen shield yet nothing happened! He had just cast a sign without verbal command, what went wrong?

The nevermore returned its attention back to his comrades.

When he realized that the shield wouldn't form without his voice, he'd tried to say it, but even that failed.

The sound of two large pincers clashing together brought him back to the enemy in front of him. They were even now. He was injured, it was injured. The deathstalker could smell him now. It smelled blood.

It hobbled over to him on its remaining five legs. The grimm was on him before he could stand. The best he could do was inch away as he propped himself up on his elbow.

"Quen."

The shield that came to surround him was dim. It crackled and sparked, half there, half not. The fire in his veins turned to ash as he the power leave him.

He could cast verbally. But why couldn't he do it without his voice? It seemed the sign of aard that he had used in that rush of the moment was twice as strong as his verbal commands.

It's pincer coiled back, ready to strike.

Was this how he died? He'd put his faith in himself, in his abilities. In the man he once was. Was it all going to end because he'd made a simple mistake?

" _One mistake is all it takes to end up dead. A Witcher doesn't live and learn unless he wants to end up a corpse. You must always be prepared, you must always know beforehand. Do it again, no mistakes this time."_

A voice.

It rang in his head. That voice, it was strong, but delicate. A soft nature, but filled with power and strength. It was feminine, that much he could ascertain.

Mistakes. She spoke of them.

Only one, and he could die.

But he wouldn't.

Jaune looked past the large grimm and to his fellow applicants.

They were still engaged in a stalemate with the flying creature. He pinpointed each of the people he'd come to care about.

Ruby, focused and sniping. Yang, jumping off tree tops, taking swings at the grimm. Weiss shooting dust combined with whatever those patterns on the ground were.

Then there was his partner Pyrrha. She sat in the treetops, firing with pristine accuracy.

He had to stay alive. For them. For himself. And for who he once was.

He would find out who he was, and piece together the remnants of his life. That he sweared.

The pincer came at him and he let it hit him. The feeble shield broke in an instant, golden lights shattering. It knocked him back, sending him flying and stumbling until he came rolling to a stop.

Regardless, injured and weak as he was. He felt it.

The power of his signs. The quen shield had worked. The ash in his veins rekindled to embers if only for one last attack.

He stood, holding the hole in his armor that seeped out blood. He grimaced for a moment, but then didn't feel a thing. The air he breathed wasn't a relief. The pain was nothing. Everything was dulled. All that there was left was the fight.

The grimm screeched as it charged at him.

The uneven rumble of its crippled legs made him harden his stance. He wouldn't run. He would face the bastard head on.

He raised Mortem Argenteum above his head in preparation for an overhead strike.

Jaune watched the beast get closer.

40 feet…

30 feet…

20 feet…

10 feet…

NOW!

He took a step forward into his downward strike and felt as the air displaced once more.

The grimm tried to get him with its pincers, but he was faster.

His sword came down in a roaring rush, smashing straight through the deathstalkers skull, splitting bone plate and blackened exoskeleton with ease.

His blade only stopped as it hit the earth beneath the beast.

A solid boom echoed through the clearing as the corpse of the deathstalker tumbled to the ground.

He let out heavy breaths as his silver sword rested on the ground where the deathstalker's head had been.

He pulled his hand away from the injury and grimaced at the gaping wound. He couldn't get a good look at it, but he knew it would need stitches.

"Jaune!"

Yang's voice. He was sluggish, but he turned around all the same. In his sights, the blonde girl running towards him, and the avian grimm hovering above him.

As if it had sensed that its brother had been slain, it turned its attention to its killer.

Him.

"Oh fuck me."

Feathers rained down on him once more.

This was it, he was dead.

There had been so much left that he could have done.

The other's they would get over his passing. Afterall they'd just met him recently.

He felt bad for Pyrrha, her partner, someone who was supposed to be with her for the next four years would leave her by herself.

Most of all he regretted the way things had been with him and Weiss last they spoke. She had known him, she obviously cared for him. Here he was dying on her after she had found him.

This world really was cruel.

He watched in morbid fascination as the razor sharp projectiles homed in on him.

And then they were gone. Everything was gone.

* * *

No.

She wouldn't allow this.

While all of them had been combating the nevermore, she had kept an eye on Jaune.

Weiss knew without a doubt that Jaune was strong. She thought back to the time when they had first met. He'd shown her what a Witcher was capable of compared to a huntsman or huntress.

But this wasn't the same Jaune that had defended her all those years ago.

He was good, but nowhere near what he had been. He fought like an experienced veteran, but with the knowledge of private.

In essence, that was what he was.

And now here they were.

She watched as the nevermore's interest turned to him. There he was, standing in front of the corpse of the deathstalker he had just slain, injured.

The others might not see it. The subtle signs of his fatigue. But she did.

She had patched him up enough times to know when he wasn't at peak working condition.

She watched as he stood there. As the grimm beat its mighty wings and let loose its feathers.

No.

She wouldn't allow it.

Weiss cast a speed glyph that lined up directly with him and took off.

* * *

It was dark but not pitch black.

That didn't matter as his eyes didn't need to adjust to the lighting difference. He saw clearly what had happened.

Weiss was kneeled down, her rapier thrust into the ground as a giant ice dome surrounded them.

In a blur of white he had seen her approach just a second before the feathers came, all of which were embedded not in him, but the ice that encased them.

The ground rumbled, and the faint sound of explosions were clear signs that the fight had not stopped outside.

Weiss stood up with poise and grace and turned to him. He offered a weak smile as a grimace came to take its place. She had smiled back, if only to turn stern a second later.

"You're hurt."

It was a statement rather than a question.

"Let me see."

It was a demand rather than a request.

He nodded and pulled his hand away from the ripped apart armor stained with his blood. She stepped closer and gasped.

"Jaune, I can see part of your lower ribs."

"Oh."

No wonder he had felt so weak. He grunted in pain, feelings rushed back into him and he doubled over. Mortem Argenteum fell beside him on to the ground.

"Jaune!"

"I'll be fine."

He caught himself on his hands and knees. Weiss came to his side, hand on his back and worry in her eyes.

"Just give me a moment."

He willed himself up, letting his body rage with pain as he stood back up again, picking up his silver sword as well. Blood still came in a steady flow from his right side.

"You're not fine."

She said, coming to stand with him.

"Here."

Weiss stepped closer to him and grabbed on to the black tunic that covered his chainmail and leather. In a quick movement combined with a tear, she had ripped a large portion of it off.

She proceeded to use it to bandage up his side. After some fiddling and a fair amount of pain she was done.

He looked at her. This was normal. It felt normal to him. She had patched him up before hadn't she. Many times he suspected.

Jaune looked to his injury. It wasn't perfect, but it had stopped the blood flow for now. He felt the ash in his veins come back to a dull fire.

"Do you think you can hold out until we get back to Beacon?"

He nodded and she gave him one in turn.

"Alright, It'd be best if we get back out there."

His hand came out and latched on to her empty one. She spun around, surprise in her cobalt orbs.

She had saved his life. There was so much to say, so much left to be answered. She held the key to some of them.

It was a moment like this that he wanted to know what they had been. He wanted to know if he should kiss her, or just thank her.

No.

She was right. He should be less concerned about what they had been, and about what they could be now. Weiss was his friend, and only that.

"Weiss… I…"

He didn't know what to say.

Weiss picked up on that and her hand gently squeezed his own.

"Save it for later Jaune. We have an initiation to finish."

He motioned to say something, but stopped himself. He nodded in acceptance as she gave him that same sad smile.

She let go of his hand and turned to face the wall of the ice dome. He watched as red dust coated her rapier until it all burst into flames.

Weiss swiftly thrusted the blade into the ice and it shattered all around. The feathers that had impacted the ice dome fell to the earth behind them.

Six pairs of eyes came to rest on them.

"And he's alive!"

Yang and Ruby ran up to him. He could also see Pyrrha move towards him, but hesitated when the two sisters came to him.

He shot her a quick smile and she gave him one back.

"Jaune are you okay?" Ruby spat out quickly.

His attention was then drawn back to Ruby and Yang.

The question hung in the air. Was he okay? No. He hadn't been okay ever. Nothing had been remotely okay since he woke up on the airship. But physically? He only had a chunk of his right side missing. Nothing to fret about.

Had he been this sarcastic before he lost his memory?

"I took a couple hits but I'm fine."

A lie, and from the way Yang was looking at him, she knew it was one too. But she soon tucked that part of herself away and he soon was faced with the flirty girl he'd been talking to all morning.

"Gotta say lady killer, I'm impressed. You took a whole deathstalker down by yourself. I saw it myself, that thing was pretty big too."

"Thanks, but I think we have more pressing matters."

His pale orbs turned to the sky.

"Where'd our airborne friend fly off to?"

"Well, while you and Weiss were committing unspeakable acts in that dome of hers…"

"Yang!" Ruby complained, a blush on her cheeks.

He looked over at Weiss to find that she to had a bit of pink on her face. What on Remnant was she thinking of? Had they done, "unspeakable acts," before?

"...that cowardly bird flew off and decided to perch its sorry ass over there."

The blonds arm stretched out and pointed to Beacon's cliff, their destination.

"You have to be fu-"

Jaune glanced at Ruby and stopped mid sentence. He looked at Yang who gave him an approving thumbs up.

The urge to facepalm surfaced.

"We all agreed that we would wait for you two to come out before we set off to kill that overgrown turkey," Yang said with fervor.

"Alright, I'm going to talk to my partner, let me know what the plan is."

Yang saluted him. He couldn't help but think that any military officer who witnessed that would have cringed.

Weiss nodded and Ruby gave him a small wave, which he returned.

He walked past them and came to stand in front of his partner. She looked him over and her expression went from contentment to worry. Her emerald gaze was locked on to the blood covering his torn up armor.

He raised his hand to stop her from speaking.

"Before you ask, yes I'm fine, just got hit a little bit."

She looked conflicted for a moment, those emerald eyes growing stormy. Ultimately she sighed and smiled.

"Alright, but next time I won't leave you. Not even if you tell me to."

Pyrrha Nikos. He knew so little about her, but he could tell that they were going to get along just fine.

"I'm glad. It's good to know you have my back."

She giggled at that.

"We're partners now Jaune, I always have your back."

He was surprised at the genuine smile that came across his face.

"Did you grab a relic?"

She stretched her hand out to reveal a golden rook.

"Ah, good."

Now that all of them had a relic, it was time to finish this. He was about to get everyone's attention and suggest they get to the cliffs, however the voice of Ruby Rose stopped him.

"All of us have our relics right?"

He nodded along with everyone else.

"It doesn't look like that thing's going to be moving anytime soon. We're going to have to kill it. Does anyone have a plan?" Weiss asked beside her partner.

A plan? His eyes turned to the nevermore perched on the cliffside.

"Oh! I do!"

All eyes focused on the girl in pink with the big hammer.

"Let's break its legs!"

"Nora, it'd still have its wings," the boy next to her commented with a sigh.

"Then we break its wings too, actually… let's break it's everything!" the newly named Nora exclaimed.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Weiss facepalmed. As insane as that had sounded. Maybe she was onto something.

"She's right about the wings, if we can stop it from flying, it'll be an easy kill," he suggested, speaking up

"Easy?"

His pale slitted eyes came to rest on amber ones.

"Easier," he amended, "I don't think I caught your name."

The girl standing beside Yang stepped closer.

"Blake."

Before he could give his own name, Yang was suddenly by his side with an arm around his shoulder. A spike of pain shot through him as pressure was put on his wound. He kept his face stoic.

"This cutie is Jaune, Lady Killer, Arc."

Blake looked to him and he shrugged, mostly at Yang but there was some symbolism in shrugging off the pain he felt.

"Charmed."

The sound of Weiss clearing her throat gained their attention.

"If we could get back on topic."

"Yes, of course your highness," Yang teased.

Jaune didn't miss the slight anger in Weiss' eyes as she glared at the offending arm around him. Yang let him go, and stood back beside her partner.

"Jaune, you were saying," Weiss gestured towards him.

"Right, we clip its wings, we kill it."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Blake asked.

He had an idea, but it would all hinge on someone in this group.

"Which one of you is the strongest?"

Two hands raised.

Yang and Nora stared each other down.

"Arm wrestle, right now!" Nora called out.

Yang took a step towards the shorter girl.

"Guys wait, it's fine. I could use both of you."

He looked to everyone else, he just hoped that they agreed.

* * *

Jaune watched as the five battled the enormous nevermore. In the question whether they would agree or not, they had.

He stood in the middle of Yang and Nora as they watched from the beginning of the bridge to the canyon structures.

"Alright, when I'm ready, Nora, launch a grenade into the air."

"Aye! Aye! Captain!" she saluted.

He took a deep breath. The fire in his veins roared once more. The break from combat had done his stamina wonders.

"Quen."

The golden shield enveloped him once more, strong this time. Yang looked startled at the sudden light, but Nora merely watched in complete fascination.

"Okay, this may sound weird, but I want you to hit me as hard as possible."

Yang hesitated. He gave her a look as if to say he'd explain later. Still looking hesitant, she nodded and seemed to understand. Nora however, had no hesitation as she converted her grenade launcher into a massive hammer.

"Just say when captain, I got you!" she exclaimed.

Yang readied her gauntlets, coiling back her arm. He had the distinct impression that this was going to hurt. He'd feel it, but the quen shield would keep him from sustaining any real damage. With a quick intake of air he said it.

"Go."

He didn't even see it coming.

Two forces slammed into him so hard that he didn't even realize that he was flying. He hit the ground and the golden lights surrounding him dispersed.

There was only pain for a moment, but soon came that feeling. His blood was raging with heat again. He sat up quickly, the pain forgotten.

He'd landed about twenty feet from them, but soon covered that ground until he was back where he started.

"Jaune, are you okay?"

His eyes met Yang's and she seemed to suddenly understand.

"I'm fine, perfectly fine... quen."

The golden light enveloped him again, the fire in his veins growing.

"Hit me."

Once more, he was flying.

They repeated this process at least four more times, each time his strength growing more and more

He hit the dirt and his golden shield broke apart. Jaune didn't even feel it anymore. In fact he felt nothing. All that was left was the power. The energy that scorched his muscles and flowed through his body.

Jaune leapt to his feet and returned to Yang and Nora.

He reached behind his head and drew Mortem Argenteum with a rasp of silver. He stepped forward, silver sword at his side.

"Nora."

"Yes captain?"

"Light 'em up."

Out of his peripheral, a watched the hammer turn once more into a grenade launcher. Nora aimed it at the sky and with a bang, a pink shell flew into the sky and exploded.

As he directed earlier, the others fighting the nevermore backed away and began to think happy thoughts.

He himself focused all his frustration, all his anger.

Anger at not being able to remember.

Anger at Weiss for not telling him more.

Anger at Ozpin for knowing something.

Anger at the giant fucking nevermore blocking his path.

And finally, anger at himself. For he held all the secrets he wished to know, yet still they were hidden.

The nevermore, sensing his negative emotions set its sights on him. It screeched and made to dive at him.

Jaune let out a battle cry as he started to run across the bridge towards his encroaching opponent. He raised the silver blade above his head and jumped.

With all the fire coursing through him, with all the power he had gathered from the quen shield; he brought the sword down in a flash of silver as the air exploded.

The blade of air was massive, matching the size of the beast it was aimed at. It slammed into the nevermore's right wing, severing it clean off.

The shockwave didn't stop at the grimm though, it continued until it crashed into the structures in the middle of the canyon, shattering the stone to bits as it all came crumbling down.

He came to land in a roll and slid to a stop just as a piece of debri smashed through the rest of the bridge.

The nevermore and its missing wing sailed overhead and crashed on to the clearing before the bridge, stopping only when it had taken down a few trees.

All was silent on the battlefield.

He stood and looked over the edge of the bridge. He felt weak, tired and overall dead. The fire in his body had burned bright and hot only to die out into embers and ash. Mortem Argenteum felt heavy in his loose grip.

Jaune felt tipsy.

The wound at his side was becoming more and more apparent with every passing second. He reached to touch it and was met with a warm wet feeling and the sight of red. His blood had soaked through the bandage.

His head felt light and he felt himself leaning forward. He would have fallen into the canyon if not for the arm that wrapped around his chest.

"Come on there lady killer, don't go dying on us."

Jaune barely registered as Yang slung his arm over her shoulder, taking his sword and sheathing on his back. She then carried him over to the rest of the group.

His pale eyes, barely remaining open watched as Ruby climbed atop the nevermore's neck and placed her scythe at its throat. It struggled and tried to get up only to be pinned down as Nora hammered its other wing and Weiss froze its legs.

Ruby pulled the trigger.

The head came clean off with the bang of a sniper shot as the body started to disintegrate.

Upon seeing him, Ruby climbed off the corpse and sped over to him. She began talking in rapid fire with an excited tone. He could get that much, but the words didn't reach him.

Yang seemed to say something to Ruby and the excited chatter ceased.

He was then walked to the group and by then he felt life return to him, if only a little.

"I think I can walk now."

He pulled his arm off Yang and stumbled. He caught himself and took the last few steps. There was a question in everyone's eye. Well everyone's except Pyrrha and Weiss. He let a smile come to his face despite the pain at his right side.

"Semblance."

One word and everyone understood. Everyone accepted it. Wasn't that convenient. He thanked whatever deity made semblances as crazy as they were now a days for huntsman and huntresses.

Nobody said anything. They all just stared back from him to the grimm carcass yet to fade away. It was as if they were still processing that it had happened and more importantly how it had happened.

Finally, Yang spoke in a cheery voice.

"Well, that was a thing."

He couldn't help the laugh that came to him. Yes, it had been a thing. A very tiring thing. He felt his body grow heavy once more as he swayed forward.

In flash of red, Ruby Rose caught him. She held him up by his chest, her hands upon his torso. Her silver eyes came to meet his as he smiled. Her face turned bright red, yet she didn't move.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"Come on Jaune, we still have to get up the cliffside."

He groaned in protest, but complied. The younger girl giggled at his displeasure as he came to stand up straight again.

It was over, the hard part at least.

He'd made it into Beacon.

* * *

 _The world was foggy, if only for a second. He was in a memory. The world around him slowly cleared up as he focused._

 _He stood in a hallway covered white._

 _His hair was long, grown out so that a small ponytail formed behind his head. A long curved scar ran across his left hand._

 _Jaune wasn't wearing his armor, instead he was adorned in a white dress shirt and dark blue vest. However, his signature pair of swords still hung upon his back._

 _The door before him opened to reveal a man in a white suit. Everything here was white, even the man's hair and mustache._

" _Ah, Jaune, right on time."_

 _He nodded to the man._

" _Do you have another job for me sir?"_

" _Yes, but not of the normal variety. Walk with me."_

 _They set off down the hallway. Jaune looked around, he'd never been in the Schnee Mansion before. He'd always met Jacque at the company building._

" _This job is going to be different."_

 _Jaune nodded along as they entered a large open courtyard. The night air came to him as they stepped into the moonlight. It was then that he began to hear something. A voice, it was singing._

" _You won't be protecting company property."_

 _They came to stop past a fountain. Before him was a girl.  
_ " _You will however be protecting my daughter, the heiress to the SDC."_

 _The girl faced away from him as she sang out into the air._

" _Can I count on you to do this?"_

 _Without hesitation , he answered._

" _Yes sir."_

" _Make no mistake Witcher, you have proven yourself to be an invaluable asset. But you are young, the same age as my daughter over there. I trust you will see her safe?"_

 _Jaune looked over at the girl. Her song was coming to an end._

" _Nothing will harm her. I promise you, I will protect her."_

" _I don't need protection! I can take care of myself."_

 _It seems she heard that last part. The girl turned around and now faced them with a stubborn look. Despite this, he couldn't help but think she was beautiful. Her white hair, her cobalt eyes that resembled ice, and her fair complexion. She had caught his attention._

" _Weiss, the White Fang has been very active recently, it's only thanks to Jaune here that nothing of great value has been stolen."_

" _So he can fight off a couple thugs and degenerates, truly impressive," she said sarcastically._

 _She turned to him._

" _So you're father's new guard dog?"_

" _WEISS!" her father scolded._

 _Jaune raised his hand to signal that it was alright and that he had taken no offence to her question._

" _Yes, that's me."_

 _She scoffed._

" _Are you a faunus?"_

" _Nope."_

" _How old are you?"_

" _Fifteen, same as you."_

 _Her eyes rolled._

" _And I'm supposed to believe that you can protect me better than I could myself, someone who has trained to be a huntress for many years?"_

 _Once again, with no hesitation, he responded._

" _Yes."_

" _You don't look like much."_

 _He smirked at her._

" _Looks can be deceiving."_

 _Her eyes narrowed._

" _I challenge you to a duel."_

" _WEISS! You will-"_

" _Sir, if it's alright, I'd like to accept her challenge."_

 _The elder Schnee thought for a moment. Looking between his daughter and him. Eventually the man sighed._

" _Do what you will Witcher, just don't hurt her."_

 _He nodded at his employer as the man walked away to the outskirts of the courtyard._

" _Witcher?"_

" _It's what I am, I'll tell you all about it if you accept me as your bodyguard."_

 _This only seemed to annoy her._

" _Klein!"_

 _A moment later, a middle aged man with a lack of brown hair appeared holding a long rectangular box._

" _How did you-?"_

 _The man unlocked the case and handed her a silver rapier._

" _I was watching the whole exchange my dear. Good luck."_

 _He then left the courtyard, coming to stand beside his employer. Weiss turned around and took a few steps so that they were at most fifteen feet apart._

" _I will be the referee of this match, both combatants will fight until either of their aura goes into the red. Understood?"_

 _Jaune nodded at the man named Klein, as did the heiress._

 _He drew his silver sword and let it hang at his side, it wouldn't do to kill his employer's daughter._

" _Ready?"_

 _Klein looked to her and then to him._

" _Fight!"_

 _In a flash, white symbols covered the ground in a path towards him. In the blink of an eye, the heiress came charging at him, rapier aimed for his center mass._

 _He smiled._

 _Jaune waited until the rapiers tip was two inches from his chest before he moved. He let the blade glance off his chest as he angled himself perfectly so that the rapier didn't impale him._

 _The girl moved passed him, and while she over extended, he used the momentum of his dodge to deliver a two handed slash to her back._

 _She cried out in surprise and stumbled from his attack._

 _She soon spun around and leveled a glare at him. He simply gave her a warm smile in return._

 _The heiress stepped up her game, placing glyphs all around him. She used them to gain mobility._

 _She was in front of him one moment, and then she was gone._

 _He only saw a blur of white as he deflected a jab at his throat, and then parried a slash at his back._

 _She danced around him, attacking from all heights and angles. At one point she had struck from above him._

 _All of these strikes, were futile._

 _He simply parried or deflected each and every attack as if it were nothing. And if he was being honest, it was that, nothing. He had faced far greater enemies, this? This was child's play._

 _Finally she came to stand still across from him, panting. She was getting tired._

 _However it seemed she wasn't done as her rapier was soon coated in an eerie blue glow._

 _She thrust the rapier into the ground with a ring of steel._

 _Jaune watched as a wave of sharp ice spikes came rumbling towards him. He side stepped them easily, but he knew what she was really doing._

 _The ice had been but a distraction._

 _He could see her behind him, using her semblance to enhance her speed. She thought she had won. After all, he wasn't turning around to face her._

 _He supposed it'd be rude not to face someone when they were engaged in such a lovely battle._

 _In one fluid motion he turned around and caught the rapier in his left hand. The blade rested an inch from his heart._

 _The look on her face was priceless._

 _He tore her weapon from her hands._

" _Tell me Miss Schnee, would you like to keep fighting? Because I have no qualms with returning your weapon to you."_

 _He held out the silver rapier to her._

 _She took it hastily but did not raise it. Her eyes were downcast as she grit her teeth. She knew it and he knew it, she had been defeated. In a fight to the death, she would have been killed._

" _I… I forfeit."_

 _It was said quietly and meekly, but Klein and the elder Schnee seemed to understand the situation._

" _Mister Arc wins the duel," Klein reluctantly announced._

 _Jacque made his way over to them._

" _There, Jaune has proven his skill to you, so I want to hear no more arguments on this matter. Is that understood?"_

 _The heiress looked like she wanted to object, but held it in._

" _Yes father."_

" _Good," the man commented before turning to face him, "Jaune you will be accompanying my daughter to the Mistral Regional Tournament. The plane leaves tomorrow at six am. You are free to stay the night, Klein will show you to the guest room. If you should need anything, the staff here will accommodate you. Klein will collect you in the morning and lead you to the airfield. If this goes well, then I shall consider making you a more permanent guest here."_

 _The heiress' eyes widened in shock. He did not show an outward expression but he too was surprised. Him? A slayer of monsters, a body guard? A one time job was one thing, but permanently stuck with her?_

 _She was beautiful he wouldn't lie, but her personality so far had little to be desired._

 _Jacque Schnee looked to the broken moon as if it reminded him of the time._

" _Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. You are free to wander the grounds Witcher, but do remember your manners. I am not a man who gives second chances."_

 _With those parting words, his employer walked off, likely headed back to his study._

 _And then there were three._

" _Klein, could you leave us, I wish to speak to Mister Arc alone."_

 _The man nodded and left through the same door as the older Schnee._

 _And then there were two._

 _The heiress looked him over with a harsh glare._

" _Look, I don't particularly like you. But I'm not a fool, you're obviously very powerful and well trained, so I respect you for that."_

 _Wow. Her respect… he felt sooooo honored._

" _Unless I'm killed during this little trip, I'm likely going to be seeing a lot of you."_

" _How do you figure, your father said he was only 'considering' my permanent tenure as your bodyguard."_

 _She scoffed and turned around. She walked to the edge of the fountain and he followed. She sat on its edge and looked into the water before turning back to him._

" _I know my father, he says 'considering' in order to soften the blow of whatever he's saying."_

" _So unless you die, we're stuck together."_

" _You could just back out. My father is no stranger to people closing deals on him."_

 _It was his turn to scoff._

" _And how many of those people were allowed to deal with him again?"_

 _She was silent._

" _None, you see…"_

 _He paused and jumped on to the edge of the fountain balancing perfectly._

" _...in my line of work, jobs that pay well and consistently are few and far between. I'd be a fool to let this go. And as your father said, he doesn't give second chances."_

 _Jaune walked around the fountain's edge, going full circle until he stood before the heiress once again._

 _She swiped at his legs._

 _He jumped up quickly, evading her strike. He landed in a crouch on the other side of her still balancing perfectly on the edge._

" _I'm not quitting this gig with your father. It pays way too well. So whether you like it or not Miss Schnee," His eyes met hers, "I'm going to be seeing a lot more of you."_

 _She looked away from his gaze and stared at the smooth courtyard floor. There was silence between them, nothing but the sound of water running through the fountain._

 _Eventually she let out a sigh._

" _I suppose if I'm stuck with you, we had better get along. After all I'm to share a really long flight with you tomorrow. I'd hate to spend it in silence."_

 _A small smile came to his lips. She looked at him oddly before closing her eyes for a few seconds. When those cobalt orbs opened, a small smile came to her lips as well._

" _That's that spirit."_

" _I suppose we should properly introduce ourselves."_

 _Her pale hand came outwards towards him and he hopped down to join her sitting on the edge of the fountain._

" _Weiss Schnee."_

 _He reached out and brought her hand to his lips with soft kiss._

" _Jaune Arc, a pleasure Miss Schnee."_

 _Her face was calm, but he saw the delicate pink that came to her cheeks. She tore her hand away, and turned her head._

 _Jaune was quite pleased to see in the reflection of the water, that she was smiling. Perhaps there was more to this job than the money._

* * *

Consciousness came before sight.

Voices, all around him. He knew where he was. The events of a few hours ago came to him.

They had returned to Beacon's cliffside. That women Glynda had been waiting for them. She took their relics and led them back to the academy.

As soon as they got back, Weiss had made him go to the infirmary. They patched him up, but said it wasn't too bad. Apparently the ribs that Weiss had seen earlier were covered by damaged muscle and tissue again.

Weiss then explained to him about his Witcher enhanced healing.

After that, they had left the infirmary, coming to join everyone in the dining hall where they would rest and wait until the selection of teams began.

He'd felt tired earlier.

It seems he'd fallen asleep.

Jaune slowly opened his eyes. What he saw first was not what he had been expected. He'd expected to see ceiling, or the side of someone out of his peripheral.

Instead he was met with the sight of boobs. Generous ones in fact.

Yang.

He examined his surroundings. He lay in the blonde's lap, head staring up. The rest of his body was sprawled out on the bench.

From under the table he could tell that Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby sat across from them in that order from left to right. He looked past Yang's lap and found that Blake, Ren and Nora were sitting beside the blonde. Suddenly his vision was obscured by assets. Yang seemed to realize that he was awake and decided to have some fun by slouching down in her seat.

Fuck you Yang.

This is what he got for falling asleep while sitting next to Yang.

As much as he would have liked to sit up and join the conversation, there was no denying that he was comfortable. And being smothered by boobs wasn't exactly hell on Remnant.

He let his mind wander.

His dream.

It seemed so far away now. But it had just been here a moment ago. Damn Yang and her boobs. He knew what had happened in the dream as well as what it was and what it meant.

His memories were coming back to him.

Meeting Weiss, the duel they had. That moment by the fountain.

It was as if he'd always known it.

The conversation table side became clearer as he woke up more.

"We should wake him up, the team selections will start soon," Pyrrha suggested.

"Hear that Jaune, you should wake up." came the all knowing voice of a certain blonde.

He groaned but complied.

"Got it!"

"What?"

"Oh yeah, he's been awake for a while. Just... laying here. On me."

She made a point to slouch over more.

Seriously Yang, fuck you.

"WHAT!? Sis get off him!"

After some bickering the blonde released. For a moment, he'd thought he'd have to forcibly remove her from him.

He sat up slowly, cracking his neck before looking at everyone. Ruby's face was red and Weiss wouldn't meet his eyes. Pyrrha seemed neutral. She was the newcomer to the party of madness after all.

Those were all the intial reactions, likely thanks to Yang, they soon morphed into new ones. All three girls across from him now stared at him bug eyed, as if seeing a rare sight. Even Blake and the rest beside her looked surprised.

It was then that he realized that something was wrong. Something was off.

He reached behind his head and didn't find his signature ponytail.

His hair was down.

Jaune turned to Yang, who was spinning a little black hair tie around her finger while whistling innocently.

"I dislike you," he grumbled, snatching the elastic cloth.

"Aww, you know you love me."

He pulled his hair back behind his head and gathered it into a ponytail once more.

"Would all first year students who passed initiation come to the auditorium for team selections. I repeat, all first year students who passed initiation to the auditorium for team selections."

The sound of teens leaving the dining hall filled the room.

"Shall we?"

He got a unanimous nod from everyone. It was time to see who he'd be spending the next four years with.

* * *

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren."

He came to stand beside his partner and what he presumed to be his teammates. He didn't know much about them, but he would in time.

Then there was Ozpin.

He wanted to run up and strangle the man. Jaune had been dying to question him ever since Initiation had ended.

Unfortunately it seemed he'd have to wait.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team JNPR."

The man's steely brown gaze homed in on him. He had a bad feeling about what was to come.

"Lead by, Jaune Arc."

And there it was.

He'd expected Pyrrha to be nominated, she's the one with all the fame and glory behind her name. But him?

Ozpin had to know he wasn't one of them. He wasn't a huntsman in training. He was a Witcher, whatever that was supposed to mean.

"Lead by?" he said through grit teeth.

Ozpin simply gave him a charming smile.

"Congratulation young man."

If that man didn't stop smiling, he felt that he would explode. Or at the very least give him a taste of igni.

Pyrrha gave him a punch on the arm as congratulations, not seeming to notice the hostility radiating off him.

They walked off stage, though his eyes never left the headmaster. He'd get answers out of him, one way or another. And pay him back for all this leader shit.

He was loner.

Or at least he had been in his memory. He'd fought that pack of alphas himself. How was he supposed to lead three other people.

A little voice in his head sounded off.

Just like you had led seven today.

Shut up.

"And finally, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, And Yang Xiao Long."

Ruby gave him a small wave, Weiss a nod and Yang a wink. Blake didn't even look at him.

That was fair.

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team RWBY."

He watched as Weiss stood there calmly. He knew her, or he knew more of her thanks to his dream. She was a confident girl. And he had no doubt she was confident that she'd be nominated team leader.

"Lead by… Ruby Rose."

And that was going to be trouble.

He watched as Yang leapt to Ruby with a hug and Weiss stood there on stage stiff as a board shocked.

Once more, Ozpin found him. Those brown orbs staring into him.

"It looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year."

Jaune stared back, his pale slit eyes coming to meet the headmaster's. The man shot him a small smirk.

Interesting indeed.

* * *

"HELLO TEAM JNPR'S ROOM!"

He'd unlocked the door and she just burst right in. At the moment she was jumping up and down on one of the beds.

"Nora, keep it down."

The boy named Ren soon followed after her, in his arms were both of their bags.

"Yes Ren!" She called back.

He and Pyrrha exchanged glances, both equally confused. Jaune had the feeling it was going to be like this all throughout their time here.

Jaune and his partner came into their new home.

Pyrrha set her luggage down by the bed closest to the wall. He took the one in between hers and Nora's who was currently still jumping on hers, albeit much quieter.

He looked to the others baggage and clothes they were unpacking. He was going to need some clothes, as well as some new armor.

Jaune looked down to the mangled mess of cloth, leather, chainmail and plate that he wore. There was also the giant hole in its right side.

Aside from the uniform and scroll they had given him, he had nothing but the torn up clothes on his back, and his two swords.

Great.

He could see Nora taking off her clothes and changing into pajamas without a care in the world. Ren went to the bathroom.

It seems Nora and Ren were getting ready for bed. He should do the same. He could feel the strain of the day reach him.

Then there was his wound, he'd have to check on it.

Jaune went to unstrap his swords, but felt nothing.

That's right, he'd' been forced to part with them, having to put them in a locker after initiation. He hadn't felt it earlier, but after fighting with them, he felt naked without them on his back. However, before he stored them away, he'd taken the three notes that had been in the pouch. He'd almost forgotten about them.

He put that out of his mind as he pulled off the remains of his armor until he was shirtless except for his bandage, with his leather pants as bottoms.

He pulled of part of the bandage to take a peek at the wound. Beneath it was newly formed scar tissue. He'd healed.

He found himself smiling.

It was a small victory, but a victory all the same.

He pulled off the bandage and tossed it in the trashcan he'd seen earlier by the door.

At some point while he was changing and checking his bandage, Pyrrha had slipped into some night clothes as well.

She wore a dark red shirt, matching her hair, and black shorts that complimented her form very well. There wasn't a doubt about it, his partner was quite good looking.

Everyone was ready to sleep, and they all said goodnight. The lights were shut off and everyone slipped into bed.

But Jaune couldn't sleep.

He had his mind on other things. He dug in his pocket for the three notes. He pulled them out and read them over in the dark, his eyes working perfectly.

The contract.

He'd almost forgotten. At some point, he'd thought less of getting into Beacon because of the contract, and more because he wanted to. Because Weiss was in Beacon, because Yang and Ruby were as well.

He still had to find this 'Fall Maiden,' and he would. So what if he enjoyed himself along the way?

Jaune switched notes to the old one. The numbers stared him down.

 _Two, five, eight, four, six, nine, one._

He still thought they were a scroll number. He had a scroll now, they had been given to any student who didn't posses one already. He could call the number, it'd be so easy. The question was if he could wait to do so.

The answer came to him quick.

He couldn't.

Jaune slipped out of bed quietly and exited the room. He shut the door to his room softly and stood out in the hallway.

He walked a few paces away from the door and sat down, his back to the wall.

Jaune pulled out his new scroll as well as the old note and dialed in the number. He waited as it rung.

Once.

Twice.

A soft click. Someone had answered.

"Hello, who is this?"

That voice, it was unmistakable, he knew her.

"Yang?"

"Jaune?" She sounded surprised, "How'd you get my number?"

How could it be her? This just brought more questions than answers.

"I found this number on an old slip of paper when I woke up yesterday. Do you know anything about that?"

There was nothing but silence, only the faint static of the scroll.

"No fucking way."

And then she hung up.

Jaune sat there, confused as he stared at the wall. What the hell was that? What did that mean? He was about to get up and go back inside his room when his scroll began buzzing.

He answered it.

"Yang?"

"Where are you?" the question came at him aggressively.

"In the hallway outside our rooms."

"I'll be right there."

And then she hung up, again.

He stood up and tucked the scroll in his pocket. In a matter of seconds, the door to team RWBY's dorm opened. Yang stepped out of it, and closed it softly in one fluid motion.

She too was in her night clothes, the same from last night.

Her lilac orbs came to him and she looked him up and down. She marched up to him and stopped only when they were an inch way from each other.

"Jaune, fair warning, I am emotionally unstable. I just got some crazy news from an old friend. This doesn't mean anything. You can't remember anything, so for now, this means nothing," she said, eyes flashing red.

He wanted to ask what 'this' was.

His answer came in the form of a kiss.

Jaune didn't know what to do. He was frozen. And then it came to him. He kissed her back.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she leaned into him, deepening the kiss. He followed along, spinning her around and pushing her against the wall as the kiss grew heated.

It no longer was an innocent gesture of affection, it had morphed into a passionate embrace filled with lust.

He felt her body against his as he pressed her onto the wall. He felt every curve and swell of her figure.

It was amazing.

And then it ended.

Her arms fell from around him and she pushed him away, separating their lips. Still they were close. He watched as those scarlet eyes drifted back to lilac.

She laughed.

"This must be a bit confusing for you."

It was his turn to laugh.

"Little bit."

She leaned in quickly and gave him one last kiss before leaving their embrace.

"Jaune, when you asked me if I knew you, I said no. But it would seem like that's not true anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew a boy by the name of Jaune Arc when I was twelve years old. I would never have admitted it then, but I was love with the guy. I gave him my number and told him to call me."

She paused for a moment to look him over once more.

"And he did, five years later."

"Yang, I-"

She stopped him by putting a finger to his lips.

"However, the Jaune Arc I knew didn't have white hair. His eyes were a darker blue and didn't have slitted pupils. I'd ask you what happened to you, but you wouldn't be able to answer that question."

Her arms came to surround him in an embrace.

"It was true what I said earlier. I didn't know you. I don't know who you've become."

She pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

"But I wouldn't mind getting to know him, he seems like a good guy."

Yang backed away from him. A smile on her features.

"So let's just be friends for now. I've changed a lot, you've certainly changed a lot. Not to mention your amnesia. So let's just see what happens."

The flirty persona he'd grown accustomed to turned back on.

"Think we can swing that lady killer?"

He didn't know what to think. There was so much to process. He'd been different? He'd looked different?

That had been five years ago.

Could he have changed so much in that time? What could have done that to him? The answer came to him easily.

Witcher.

He'd become a Witcher.

Jaune looked at her, those lilac eyes holding so much history and wonder. He always knew there had been something familiar about her. And now he knew.

Just as it had been with Weiss, here he was starting over with someone he had known before. It hurt in a way he couldn't recall, and that was the worst part about it.

Jaune felt his lips curl up slightly in a sad smile.

"Yeah, I think so."

Yang seemed to understand, if not his true issue, then his pain. She gave him a smile, one that he couldn't help but smile with.

"We should head back."

"Yeah."

They walked the few steps to the team doors and stopped, both of them about to enter. However, just before they did, Yang looked over at him.

"If you ever remember what happened to you these last five years, let me know. I would like to know what happened to my first boyfriend."

He spun around, eyes wide.

"Don't look so surprised Jaune, there was a reason why I kissed you. Goodnight."

And with that she opened the door and slipped inside.

Jaune stood there for a moment.

She had been his girlfriend. Yang had been his girlfriend. Five years ago. He'd become Witcher five years ago.

He opened the door to his room and shut it gently.

The pieces of his life were coming together, one by one.

He slipped into his bed silently.

Yang, Witcher, Weiss, and then now. Nothing made complete sense, but he had the basics. He had to start somewhere.

And this was it.

* * *

 **A/N: And thus concludes the epic long ass chapter! Fuck I want to die. I thought of splitting this 16k beast into two parts, but decided you guys deserved a treat. Hope you enjoyed this madness.**

 **Jaune will slowly start to remember his past as a Witcher as well as his history with the two main ladies in his life. Speaking of which...**

 **Things with Weiss are in the air.**

 **Things with Yang are also in the air.**

 **Ruby is trying hard to stay relevant in the game of love and Pyrrha just showed up. (Insert 'hello again')**

 **Blake is gonna just sit this one out in the platonic zone. However don't think I've forgotten her potential. We'll be seeing her later as she turns to her 'fellow faunus' Jaune for help.**

 **Jaune is strong, I wanted to establish that. He's just limited by his amnesia. He can't remember certain things key to battles. He didn't know how to cast non verbally again. He'd done it once out of instinct, but there was no promise that he could do it again.**

 **Anyway, as always, I apologize for grammatical errors, let me know what I can do better, let me know what you're thinking and thanks for reading! Take care!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello, been awhile since i've updated. It's been a crazy two weeks. Went camping in the mountains, couldn't write during that time. Got back together with my ex girlfriend, not sure that's a good idea, but hell, you only get one life. Might as well. I do really love her though XD I'm also in the process of going through the Witcher 3 playthrough on Death March. Oils and Potions for days :D**

 **So… yep, i had a fun little break. But now It's time to get back to my boi Jaune.**

 **Dragonslayer has taken over the lead for this fic, but I haven't forgotten Weiss. I like both. And I promise you I have plans to appease both sides. What if I told you it was gonna be a three way :D**

 **I guess you'll have to keep reading to see if I'm kidding or not.**

 **As always, I do not own RWBY or the Witcher series.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: You know nothing Jaune Arc**

"I love you, you know that right?" - Jaune Arc, to Weiss Schnee

 **Beacon - Team JNPR's Room**

"IT'S MORNING! IT'S MORNING REN! FOOD! PANCAKES!"

Jaune's eyes shot open and he sat up straight, arm reaching behind him for a familiar presence. His head swiveled to regard the bubbly redhead running around in a frenzy.

She already had the school uniform skirt on, but was skipping around in a pink bra waving the button up shirt like a flag. As hard as he tried, he couldn't help from letting his eyes track the bouncing assets that roamed the room.

"NORA! Put a shirt! Then we can get food."

Ren came stumbling out of the bathroom his pajama pants half on.

"Yes Ren! Oh they better have pancakes!"

He watched as Nora put on her shirt at an inhuman speed and Ren pull his pants up, grab his school uniform before heading back into the bathroom. He looked over to Pyrrha, she too was still waking up and bleary eyed.

He'd heard Weiss call her the invincible girl at one point.

But right now she looked pretty normal to him. She was Just Pyrrha, his partner and fellow victim of Nora Valkyrie's insanity.

This was his team.

He couldn't help the small smile that came to his face.

Aside from the waking up, it was a fairly subdued morning. It went as he had expected. They got up around 7:30, took turns changing and showering, and left for the cafeteria by 8:15.

However, throughout his whole morning, his mind kept coming back to one thing. Or one person that is.

Yang.

She was a big part of his past. She might not have spent the most time with him, but her memory held so much. It was like fragments of metal that formed a picture, and he was a magnet attracting all the key pieces in all the wrong orders.

Nothing was certain, he didn't know anything for fact. It was just an intuition, a feeling that was so strong he knew it had to be true.

As he sat at a table in the cafeteria, eating a croissant, because Beacon's food variety is insane, sitting next to teammates, he was lost in his thoughts.

Last night had revealed nothing to him. It had been the first sleep he'd had where he didn't dream of anything. No memories or faint traces for him to recall. There was nothing, merely the faint kiss on his lips to the morning wake up call. No in between.

It was frustrating, he wanted desperately to remember. But it looked as though this dreaming recollection process would take time.

There was a man that held the answers. He had the keys to the locks in Jaune's mind. The man was flaunting them, rattling them against each other on the key ring. He hated this man, wanted to beat him bloody till he talked and that smirk had been wiped off his face.

Ozpin.

He could just give him the answers. It would be so simple. What the hell was that man hiding? He felt his teeth grit and Jaune soon felt a snap within his hand.

His eyes came to focus back on reality.

"Jaune, are you okay?"

Pyrrha looked at him, but her eyes glanced to the snapped metal fork in his right hand. Her emerald eyes were filled with concern.

Definitely normal.

He knew what invincibility does to a person. And if she was truly invincible she wouldn't care like she does. That brought a smile to him, replacing his snarling grit teeth.

"Just fine, don't worry."

He prayed she wouldn't press him further for details.

"Oh alright, let me know if there's something amiss though, we are partners."

She gave him a quaint smile before turning back to her meal and talking with Ren and Nora. Through this whole morning, he'd commented and responded as to keep them under the impression that he was taking part in their 'getting to know each other session.'

He checked the time.

It was 8:49.

Classes started in approximately ten minutes. And team RWBY had yet to enter the Cafeteria.

There was a mental image of Yang still asleep. She was probably sleeping in.

He could see it, and the whole world stopped for a moment.

Her golden mane was resting all around her. Her breathing was slow, the rise and fall of her chest lifting the covers before coming back down. A small line of drool trailed down her mouth and she smiled about something in her sleep. Then there was waking her up, and he knew that was a nightmare.

And then there was Weiss, she would wake up on time. Maybe not the second, but definitely to the minute. She'd go in the bathroom and take care of her morning rituals in record time. She prided herself with efficiency. After all that, she'd gently lean down and wake him up.

Jaune stiffened as the world slapped him across the face. Jaune sighed, grabbing what was left of his croissant and pancakes and munching on them.

There it was again. That feeling. It was always them. Those were not idle thoughts. Those were urges. Little scraps of a memory just below the surface. Both thoughts must have been when he had known them. Yang when they were young kids, exploring the wonders of romance. And Weiss when… he was older. Not quite sure on the relationship they had. Though he had a pretty good idea.

It was odd to think that Yang had been his girlfriend.

Even odder to think of Weiss being in any sort of romantic relationship.

As of now he couldn't quite picture that. He had no overarching feelings around Yang aside from familiarity. It wasn't like with Weiss where he felt this pressure in his mind.

It questioned him, it questioned her and he found himself drawn to the girl in white.

But with Yang, it was this roaring fire. It would appear in moments at a time. When they were alone, when they'd mess with each other. When she would kiss him.

Yang was a fire, felt only when one got close to it.

Weiss was the frost and cold, felt all the time, an overbearing yet structured presence.

Jaune wasn't sure which he liked better. Or if he liked either at all.

He looked back at the time, 8:52.

They should get going, classes were starting soon.

"Hey guys, we should go. Our first class is at nine with Professor Port."

His team nodded and made to stand. For Nora that meant stand on the table.

"You got it leader Jaune!"

She finished with a salute and began skipping towards the exit, Ren in tow, balancing their empty trays of food. He looked over to Pyrrha who simply smiled and shrugged. He made to follow after them, but stopped. An idea came to him.

"You go on ahead, I have to take care of something first."

Pyrrha seemed to think it over, those emerald eyes wondering and questioning. Eventually she sighed and gave him a soft smile.

"Alright, but don't be too long. No running off to fight a deathstalker by yourself."

A smile cracked upon his features.

"No promises."

She punched him playfully on the arm, and set off to trail after their fellow teammates.

"See you in class," she called out.

Jaune waited and watched until she slipped out those double doors. He spun on his heels and made his way over to the cafeteria workers.

Jaune stopped at the counter where an older woman, likely in her forties, smiled warmly at him.

"What can I get for you dearie?"

His lips curved upward.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I get some chocolate chip cookies to go?"

* * *

"Thank you! You're the best!"

Ruby rose clung to her partner. The smaller girl hugged his mid section, a bag of cookies clutched in her hand that was wrapped around him.

"Well, I figured since you didn't show for breakfast, that you might be hungry."

"You figured right!"

Yang took a seat beside the empty one to Pyrrha's left. Jaune's seat.

"Thanks a lot lady killer, you're just feeding her addiction. Enabler."

The statement was teasing in nature, but Pyrrha could make out the gratitude in the blonde's eyes.

"No eating in class Ruby, It's disrespectful to the professor," Weiss interjected.

Jaune simply smiled.

"Come on Weiss, what could it hurt?" He looked down at Ruby, "You'll eat them and pay attention right?"

The girl in red nodded fervently.

"See?"

Weiss' gaze softened and she looked at Jaune with longing eyes. But then it was gone. That flash of emotion was replaced by the heiress' cold nature. However the heiress nodded along, agreeing to his compromise.

"Would you take your seats? Class will be starting."

They all looked to the center stage, where a large man with a large mustache addressed them with a boisterous voice.

"Of course sir."

Jaune took his seat as Ruby scrambled off him and into a seat beside Weiss.

Pyrrha's emerald gaze roamed over the four. From Jaune, to Yang, to Weiss and finally to Ruby.

Pyrrha didn't know how to feel. It wasn't strange that her partner might have other friends outside the team. But… it was clear Jaune was close to Yang, Ruby and Weiss.

That wasn't bad, in fact she was happy he had good friends. But it also meant that there might not be room for her. He already has three female friends, why would he need another? She had come here hoping for a friend. Someone true and honest, that would see her.

She'd found him.

It just looked like she wasn't the only one as well.

* * *

"Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night. Yes the creatures of grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as… prey."

It was from his first sentence that he hated the man.

"And you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy."

Well, hate was a strong word. He didn't hate the guy.

"Now, as I was saying, Vale and the other three kingdoms, are a safe haven in an otherwise treacherous world."

He fucking hated every second of the man's existence. He loathed the sight of him rambling on stage.

"Our planet is teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces."

Grimm, prey?

Yes, huntsman could make prey of the grimm. But Witchers made prey of grimm and huntsman alike. Witchers were the one who died, who fought till the last drop of blood left their body.

"Huntsman! Huntresses!"

The Professor sent Yang a wink. He felt the need to decapitate Professor Port. This man was a joke.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why… the very world!"

The kid who just cheered in the back was on his shitlist now.

"That is what you are training to become, but first, a story."

Had he undergone the training Jaune had? Had he suffered under the needles and trial that he had? Had this man, this 'Professor Port,' lost his soul?

"A tale of a young, handsome, man… me."

It was men like this, that got the credit. That everyone cheered for. That overshadowed what happened behind the scenes.

What?

No. What was he thinking?

Then it was gone. All the hate. All the anger. The man preaching about himself looked less irritating. Jaune no longer felt the urge to stab the man's eyes out.

He watched as the man relayed a lesson through his tales as a younger huntsman.

What was that?

A feeling? Past memories that held heavy emotion? He'd wanted to kill that man. To leap from his seat and beat him to death on stage.

It was concerning.

It was scary.

But he'd never admit that to anyone, not even himself. He'd gotten a glimpse, just like he always did. Random feelings that came and passed.

But it was a glimpse of who he was, and how he was.

And he didn't like it.

Jaune had been so furious. So hateful and deranged. How could he have been like that before? What had turned him into that.

The soft sound of snoring came to him as he looked over at the sunken form of Ruby Rose. It drew him from his thoughts as she woke up when the Professor made a particularly exaggerated noise in his story.

Ruby Rose. She made him smile. It was an odd feeling. He'd only known her for a couple days now, yet he felt so close to her. It had started today.

He'd gotten the cookies because he knew it would have made her happy.

There was something in the way she smiled at him so innocently and full of hope that he craved. That he wanted to see again.

He knew the reason.

And he hated it.

She was a replacement. A stand in for the one person theses feeling were truly attached to. Someone who he couldn't remember.

He sat there, zoning out, thinking about anything but what the professor was saying down there. It was so peaceful, he kept his eyes open but he didn't register anything. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, he only left his meditation when something, or someone got his attention.

"Hey."

The whisper had come from his left. He shook his head to clear the fog in his mind and turned his gaze to face the blonde beside him.

"Hey," he returned.

Yang leaned in a bit closer, but not enough as to be noticeable.

"We've been sitting here listening to him talk about himself for at least an hour now. Have you learned a single thing?"

Jaune chuckled softly. Had it really been that long?

"Nope, and I doubt I'll learn anything my whole time here."

It was true on his part, she simply took it as a burn to the teacher.

She smirked.

"Think he practices these stories in the mirror?"

Jaune watched as their professor simulated an explosion with his whole body.

"Every night I bet."

She giggled.

He was about to say something else when the professor finally caught his attention.

"Well! I was going to ask for volunteers, but since Mister Arc is content chatting up young huntresses rather than learning, I suppose he'll do nicely."

All eyes turned to him and Yang.

Fuck.

What the hell had he signed himself up for?

"Now Mister Arc, if you'd kindly make your way down to the stage…"

Professor Port walked to the back of the room and revealed a tall hidden cage. Glowing red eyes peered out of it and the visage of an Alpha Beowulf stared him down.

"...your opponent awaits."

It was silent for at least five seconds. Everyone was shocked. A student teacher confrontation was happening and now said student had to fight an alpha beowulf.

"Of course sir. I'll just grab my gear."

He moved to leave the room, exiting the stands and into the middle walkway. When he was at the door, the professor spoke.

"Actually, I was hoping you would fight, unarmed."

Jaune spun around and looked at the man. He was serious about it. If the silence in the room could get any heavier, it just did.

"Sir, I understand if this is a lesson for not paying attention, but isn't having him fight without a weapon unnecessary."

Yang had risen from her seat. A hard look in her eyes had taken over.

"Miss Xiao Long, do not think that I wasn't watching. You instigated the conversation with Mister Arc. It was you who was going to be down here fighting unarmed, but that would change nothing. You are a brawler, you use your fists as your weapons. It wouldn't be much of a disadvantage."

The professor then turned to him.

"But Mister Arc here, whose weapon gives him reach and power, it will be harder for him."

Yang's eyes flashed red.

"But sir-"

"Miss Xiao Long!" the professor's voice carried across the room in a wave. It was strong and forceful, as if it had been used to give countless orders.

Yang flinched and sat back down. His voice softened.

"There are two ways to be disarmed. You are either not armed with your weapon, or you are not armed with the knowledge to use that weapon effectively. Being without either can get you killed. Since Mister Arc thinks it is more important to chat with you than to be armed with the knowledge I provide, then he shall fight disarmed. If the beasts proves too much for him, I will step in."

And there it was again, reigning silence. It ruled like a tyrant.

"Now Mister Arc, if you would."

Professor port gestured to the center stage.

He nodded to the older huntsman and began his walk to the stage. A newfound respect had blossomed for the boisterous professor.

Professor Port was loud, he was a braggart, he was self centered. But he cared about his students, and he wanted to show them that being a huntsman or huntress was a serious commitment and not something to take lightly.

If anything, Jaune respected that.

On his way down, he stopped for a moment on Yang's row. Her eyes met his and he smiled.

"Thanks."

She nodded back to him.

Ruby gave him a thumbs up, Pyrrha a confident smile, and from Weiss he received nothing. From what she expected of him, this must be nothing to get worked up over.

Jaune stepped onto the stage, the tall cage containing his opponent only a few meters away. Jaune took off his uniform jacket, leaving him in a white button up, blue vest and red tie. He rolled up the sleeves, loosened the red neck-trap, and unbuttoned his shirt a little.

He needed mobility and speed, couldn't do that if the clothes were restraining him.

The professor took the blunderbuss axe off the wall and stepped to the cage.

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

With a ring of steel, the chains holding the cage fell to the floor and the beast was let loose. Professor Port immediately moved to the stands to guard the unarmed spectator students as the Alpha took a step out of its prison.

It snarled and locked its eyes on him. Those crimson orbs burning into him. It hated him. It hated him for no other reason than because it could. Because it wanted to.

All was silent as the only sound to echo in the room was the alpha's steady growl. It was sizing him up. It was thinking.

Professor Port thought him an ignorant child. The man thought he was just like all his classmates. He was wrong.

Beowolves, trouble in packs but easy pickings as a singular targets. They were fast, and that's what made them such a good threat as a group. But where they were fast, they lacked in strength.

Alpha Beowolves, those were a different story. They were covered in spiny bone plates and had the strength and durability of any given Ursa, but just as fast as its lesser brethren. But most importantly, it was smart, it could think.

With his weapon, this would be an easy fight, trivial even. Unarmed however would make this more difficult. He'd have to beat it using his surroundings. Or perhaps by using itself. He didn't have aura and unless he wanted to tip his hand to all the other students, he couldn't use his signs. Sparring matches would be starting soon with Miss Goodwitch's combat class.

This shouldn't prove to hard, he'd just have to get creative.

The Alpha stood on its hind legs and towered above him. This grimm was old, very old. It was almost at least another man taller than him. Somewhere around the realm of eleven feet tall.

"Show it who's boss Jaune!"

Ruby's support seemed to snap everyone out of the silence, including the Alpha Beowulf. It let loose a mighty roar, the sound reverberating in the room and filling all the spectators with anxiety.

Jaune slipped into a loose stance as it charged him.

Its paws pounded on the floor and came to rest before him as claws lunged at his neck.

He sidestepped, the claws only skimming him as he dodged expertly. He'd taken the blow, but not the force of it. The claws hadn't even cut his clothes.

It landed on all fours, and spun round to face him. It charged once more, this time with its maw open and ready to bit his head off. He matched it for speed and rushed head on as well. Just as the jaws of the grimm had him, he took a knee, sliding down beneath it.

It missed its target, but he didn't. After he'd cleared the beast, he pivoted forcefully and shot off with one foot towards the alphas back.

"Go Captain Jaune!"

With a cheer from Nora, he landed on the Alpha's back, his foot locked into its spines and his hand holding the largest one atop its upper back.

It began pawing at him, but he evading the feeble swipes. His left arm reached out to its head. In a flash his pointer and middle finger were buried into the grimm's eyes socket. Black ooze stained his hand as he pulled his hand back in order to do the same to the other side.

The sight of blood hurled into him. The grimm beneath him was hungry and ravenous, desperate and violent.

Blood, by his hand.

No blade to make it swift. No signs to his advantage. There was only himself. The world faded around him. It was dark. And there was nothing but dirt and the smell of ash among the trees.

He was going to die if he didn't kill it.

It roared and squirmed while clawing at everything as he blinded it. It felt like he was on a bucking bronco. The Alpha began running into anything and everything in attempts to shake him off.

When its two crimson eyes had been snuffed out, he put both hands onto the largest spine and pulled as hard as he could.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

It roared and howled, covering up the cracking noise as he removed the spine from its back as black blood stained the floor. He grinned like a madman.

He wouldn't die here. Not here. Not in this forest.

It tried to bat him off, but he used the spine he had acquired as a club and smacked away the claws.

He had to kill it. He had to.

He wanted to live.

He felt it, the fear. The cold as his body remembered all the times it had been put in peril. It was years worth of anxiety, hatred, fear and anguish shoved into a single moment.

It didn't see it coming as he smashed the bone club against its arm with a sickening crack. He repeated this viciously until the arm fell limp, the sound of shattered bones having echoed in the room.

This wasn't like before. No fire coursed through him. There was only survival. Without his weapons he felt so naked and bare. But he would fight tooth and nail without them.

He was a Witcher.

But he was not invincible. Mortality surrounded him.

It had to die.

Just like the deathstalker, his prey was blind, and crippled. But this time, there was no nevermore to save it, or give it equal footing.

There was only, him and the Alpha.

He latched onto one of its ears and grunted as he ripped it off. By now the floor was slick and coated in grimm blood. Deeper puddles forming where he had done more damage.

Finally, he spun the spine around until the sharp end was facing the Alpha's back. With all the force he could muster, he thrust the sharp end of the bone spine into the bloody socket it came from.

The bone went straight through, piercing its back and coming to poke out its upper chest. But that wasn't enough. He pulled it out again, with a squelching noise and plunged it back in again and again and again.

It staggered and whined for a moment, like a beaten dog before collapsing forward, silent. It was only then, did he stop stabbing.

The corpse hit the floor with a sullen thud as Jaune stood on top of it, covered in black blood. The only sound was his heavy breath as it tapered off into a calm rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.

The world slowly enveloped him, the darkness receding and the trees vanishing.

His body was stiff. His muscles tense with stress. He'd killed it. He knew he would, but there was something raw about this. Something almost insane.

He'd ripped it apart.

Taken its body and used it as a playground for him to use. He slowly stepped off the corpse. Pieces of it were already beginning to flake apart and disintegrate. The blood on the floor was evaporating rapidly, but the stains on his clothes, those would stay unless he got them washed.

Jaune turned to the professor. The man had a face of stone.

"Well, it seems I underestimated you Mister Arc. This was meant to make you fail, and thus a lesson could be imparted upon all of your peers. However you have emerged victorious."

He guessed as much. This was meant as a lesson, a little threat that if they did not take the knowledge that they were given here, they might end up as he was supposed to.

Jaune knew what he was supposed to do. Port had expected him to try, fail, and then ask for help. Ask to be saved and say that he would listen and not chat up pretty girls in class.

However he didn't fail. He didn't ask to be saved. He killed that Alpha Beowulf with his bare hands. It was only then that he realized that they were shaking.

"You are dismissed, you may return to your seat."

Jaune nodded, picking up his suit jacket on the floor before climbing the stairs and sitting

back down. His back hit the chairs hard embrace and he felt his muscles slowly relax.

"You did great Jaune."

"Thanks."

Pyrrha's compliment passed through him. And he felt himself stare out into nothing.

What was that? That desperation. That need to kill. For a moment he was afraid he'd lost it and he'd be as wild as the creature he slayed.

Sanity clung to him.

But he knew it. Despite the state of his mental faculties, something had happened. A moment like this one. His back to the wall and no weapon to fight of the grimm. He felt it in his bones. In the way he remembered his fight with the Alpha Beowulf differently than he knew what happened.

Every fiber in his being told him he had been in a forest.

But he knew better.

It had been this classroom, that stage. With the smell of dust in the air. It wasn't some forest, nor upon a dirt floor, or with the smell of ash in the air. It was all in his head.

That didn't comfort him one bit.

A hand came to rest on his under the table. It did not intertwine them together, but simply held onto the form of his his own.

His pale eyes shifted over to Yang once more.

Dry humor reminded him of what had happened last time he'd looked over at Yang. He hoped Professor Port didn't have another Alpha Beowulf waiting for him.

She looked at him, an apology in her lilac eyes.

She saw through him. She saw his distress. She saw something broken that she thought she had caused, and was trying to fix it now.

He wanted to laugh. But he didn't. Yang hadn't caused anything, what was broken was already a part of him. The fight on stage, It wasn't her fault alone. He'd talked to her as she had talked to him. She didn't know. About him, who he was and how he'd come to be this way. Neither did he.

She didn't know that this should have been easy for him.

For a Witcher.

Which just begged the question, why had it been so hard? Physically he was fine. He'd killed it without a problem. But mentally, there was something wrong.

Jaune raised his other hand so it was cupping her own and gave it a soft squeeze. A simple smile followed. He wasn't truly happy, but he was happy that she cared.

And that was enough.

Her own smile gave him satisfaction knowing that she didn't feel responsible anymore. Sometime had passed, and she hadn't removed her hand.

He suspected she wouldn't until class ended.

Jaune was perfectly fine with that.

He watched the professor take the center stage once more, not minding the grimm corpse not two feet from him.

"As I was saying before, the moral of my story is that a true huntsman must be honorable…"

The rest of class went by in a blur. He barely registered Professor Port's lecture come to an end. He only really came back to focus when Weiss took the stage.

By now the Alpha he'd slain was all gone, not a trace of its mangled corpse.

Professor Port went to the back of the room again and pulled forth another, smaller, cage. It rattled, and shook. The grimm in there must be young. It was fighting and lashing out instead of saving its strength.

The professors axe came down, and out came the boarbatusk.

From the second the cage opened, the beast charged. It was ravenous.

Weiss succeeded, but only after being disarmed and having a heated exchange with Ruby. The Professor congratulated her.

Through all of it, Yang had been there. A hand to hold. An anchor to reality when all he wanted to do was drift off to find his memories.

His mind briefly drifted to the kiss they had shared, and how it might feel to do it again.

"I'm afraid that is all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings."

The professor's eyes trailed along the students until they reached him. Once they had found him, they stopped.

All thoughts of Yang ceased.

"And remember, stay vigilant."

He was just like Ozpin, he singled him out. Half of the class hadn't been paying attention. Hell, Ruby even fell asleep. Professor Port could have picked anyone of them, but he didn't, He picked him. The man knew something. Everyone knew something, everyone but Jaune himself. What the hell was going on?

"Class dismissed."

Weiss stormed out of class. He only noticed when Ruby had leapt from her seat and gave chase after her.

It was then that Yang let go of his hand. He looked to her, and her to him. She gave him an honest smile that soon morphed into the smirk her flirty self wore.

"See ya lady killer."

"See ya."

The blonde walked away, following her partner who was already leaving. His attention soon came back to the man with the bladed blunderbuss.

His team packed up their stuff around him and made to leave. He too stood and was about to depart with his team, when the professor spoke.

"Mister Arc, if you could stay behind for a moment."

His hands no longer shook. His mind was calm. Everything seemed to settle back into place as it should be.

"Yes sir."

He turned to his team, who gave him concerned and supportive looks. He was surprised to see it in Ren and Nora's eyes as well. Pyrrha was his partner, but Ren and Nora, they'd just met.

However it was unmistakable the understanding in their eyes. Perhaps they too had gone through some hard times.

He knew it in the way those blue and pink eyes begged the question, "was he okay?" To most it might have just looked like some feat of power and ferocity. But to them, maybe they saw what it really was.

Desperation.

"I'll catch up with you guys."

The smile he gave them was half assed, but they accepted it all the same. Team JNPR, his team, left out the double doors, leaving him alone with a man that made him face one of the world's greatest horrors, alone, without armor or a weapon.

"Did you enjoy my class?"

Jaune looked down to his blood stained clothes and sullen hands. His head slowly lifted to match the professor's gaze.

"No sir."

The man let out a quick chuckle.

"I suppose you wouldn't. Tell me, was it the lectures, or the fight?"

"Both."

Jaune was surprised at the acid and malice in his voice. He was even more surprised when the teacher laughed it off and gave him a knowing look.

There was no doubt. He knew, just like Ozpin knew. He wouldn't be surprised if the whole staff knew.

"Today, you have displayed tenacity and skill, as well as knowledge of a grimm's weak points. You have proven yourself more capable and adaptive than any student that has come in this classroom. You were never meant to succeed, but you did. And so for that, I shall give you compensation."

The professor paused a moment and thought about what he was going to say.

"I am excusing you from assigned homework and readings. You do not have to listen to me. You can do whatever you choose to, so long as it is quiet and non disruptive to my students. I am giving you freedom. But you do still have to attend my classes. It would be nice if you payed attention, but I will not require it of you. Is that understood?"

He knew. The professor knew about him. What he was. There was no other way he would have given him this privilege otherwise.

"You know what I am don't you?"

The man's face did not falter or change. He was completely unfazed by the question.

"I asked you if you understood Mister Arc."

It was a statement. Non negotiable. He would get nothing from this man just as he would get nothing from Ozpin.

"I understand."

The older man nodded. But surprisingly spoke again.

"As for your question… I know that you are special. I know that my teachings in the classroom will do nothing for you because you yourself already know them."

The professor smirked at him.

"Did I answer your question?"

Jaune wanted to scream. He wanted to yell. He wanted to let loose the frustration boiling in his stomach. But he didn't. He settled for a small frown.

"Yes sir."

"Good, now run along. Your next class starts in an hour. I'm sure you and your team would like to enjoy the break period."

Jaune nodded, and spun around on his heels. He walked casually, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.

"...not a team, led by you."

Weiss' voice carried throughout the hall. There was a part of him that wanted to leave it alone. Weiss and Ruby worked it out before in the Emerald Forest, they could do it again. Clearly he was dealing with his own internal problems, did he really want to add onto it by taking on other people's problems? It would be so simple to meet up with his team and carry on with his day.

But these weren't just some random students. This was Weiss. A girl that refused to tell him parts of his own history involving her. This was Ruby, somone who he felt close to despite the short time that they've known each other.

So what if she was a stand in?

The emotions, the urges to make her happy, those were real, if a little misguided.

He began walking in the direction where the voices were coming from. For a moment he forgot about the class he'd just undergone. Forgot about the Alpha that had caused him to panic. He forgot about the professor that knew things he shouldn't.

If they could do that for him, then he would try his best for them.

"I've studied, and trained, and quite frankly, I deserve better."

Weiss voice was getting closer, all he needed to do was round the corner. He could see the edges of Ruby's red hood poking out from behind it.

"Ozpin made a mistake."

He stood, a few feet away. Two steps and she would be able to see him. The unmistakable sound of heels clicking away told him all he needed to know.

Jaune took those steps forward.

Ruby, slouched over and head down, spun around. She jumped slightly in surprise at his presence but maintained her downtrodden attitude.

"Ah Jaune! Didn't see you there."

Her head was bowed and she looked about ready to cry.

It just occurred to him that this wasn't really his business. This was Team RWBY drama. Last he checked, there wasn't a J in that acronym.

But there was something about her. Ruby Rose. He wanted to make her happy. This was no longer team RWBY business he was intruding on, this was Jaune, wanting to comfort a friend. That made it his business.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, it's alright."

A silence came to rest between them. Jaune thought about what he wanted to do. It didn't take him long.

Ruby let out a small squeak as his right hand held onto hers.

He'd reached out and gently grabbed her hand. Just as Yang hadn't, he didn't inter lock their fingers together. He simply held her smaller hand in a delicate grasp.

He led her so that they were closer to the wall, and he sat down, back leaning against the stone. Through this, he didn't let go of her hand.

She followed along, if only because she was shocked at the sudden contact.

With his other hand, he patted the spot beside him. She looked at him skeptically but sat down all the same.

He let go of her hand and let it come to rest in his lap. The silence continued, but only for a short while.

"It might not be my business, but I over heard the last bits of of your conversation with Wiess. I wanted to ask how you're feeling."

"Oh."

Ruby's arms wrapped around her legs as she brought them to her chest. Her head peeking out above above her knees.

When she didn't answer, he knew what to do.

"You know, the first time I met Weiss…"

Her head perked up a little.

"...she challenged me to a duel."

He'd have to get her to open up to him.

"Her father was against it, but I swayed him to let the fight happen."

Ruby's head rose from her nest she and looked to him for more.

"This was back when Weiss and I were fifteen, the same age as you are now. If you think she was prickly now, you should have seen her back then. She questioned everything about me before she issued the challenge, as if inspecting if I was good enough."

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. The dream had been fuzzy and the details were foggy, but as he said it aloud, it came back to him.

"She put up a good fight, but she wasn't even close to being as skilled as she is now. I remember the look on her face when I beat her."

Her silver eyes brightened and she smiled.

"She was so annoyed. But she accepted the loss. She recognized my strength and respected that. After that, we became friends. It took a while, but eventually she opened up."

He looked to her, his pale eyes meeting those silver orbs.

"And I think if you show her your strength as a leader, she'll respect you too."

Ruby let out a soft sigh.

"Do you really think so?"

His hand came up to ruffle her hair instinctively.

"Yeah, I do."

She groaned and fixed her hair, but smiled at him all the same. Her arms quickly wrapped around his frame as she scooted close.

"Thank you Jaune, for cheering me up."

Her head was buried in his side as his arm came to rest around her small frame.

"Anytime Ruby."

A minute passed by and eventually she released him, her cheeks pink. She sat back down, her back against the wall, albeit closer to him this time.

"Do you think Ozpin made a mistake making me leader?

Her silver eyes looked at him with such expectancy. She really cared what he thought about the matter.

He may have improved her mood, but she was still uncertain.

"I think you have to decide that for yourself.

She gave him a puzzled look.

"Huh?"

"Ozpin made you leader. As much as you might want to, don't question it."

He leaned closer and poked the center of her chest.

"Whether he made a mistake or not doesn't matter. You, Ruby Rose, are now the leader of team RWBY. He gave you that responsibility. Not Weiss, you. It's up to you whether you will uphold that responsibility or not."

Jaune pulled away, a gentle smile on his lips.

"I think you will, but the decision is ultimately up to you. So tell me fellow team leader Ruby Rose…"

Jaune stood up and turned to face the younger girl.

"...will you?"

He extended a hand to her.

She looked at it warily. As if by accepting it the responsibility he spoke of would come to weigh down on her. He supposed that's how she saw it.

He was posing the question, the ultimatum. And for her, this was a big moment. To him, this was just cheering up someone dear to him.

Ten seconds passed.

Her hand came to meet his, and she allowed herself to be pulled up with ease. Upon standing she looked all around her. She appeared anxious.

She was waiting for it.

The feeling of the responsibility. The weight of three other lives on top of your own.

Jaune smiled.

"Silly."

She looked at him before her eyes widened.

His arms enveloped her in a hug. It was simple, an embrace because why not? Her arms soon came to circle him as well.

"Being a leader isn't something you feel. It isn't a weight that drags you down. It's being able to get people to do things together that none of us could do alone. Think of it as a badge. You wear it constantly, but you do not feel it. You are not hindered by it."

Jaune released her and pulled away.

"You carry this badge now. And I know you can shoulder the responsibility that comes with it."

She let what he said sink in, and finally nodded. Her silver eyes sparkled and a content smile spread across her lips. He'd done it. Ruby Rose was cheered up and doubt free. There was a tug in his chest. It was a familiar feeling, one he knew he felt a lot for this mystery person he was projecting onto Ruby.

But this was different.

He wasn't projecting anything. This feeling, it was for her, and her alone.

It was a sweet moment. But it was over now. Ruby's gaze shifted to her right, and he could almost see the gears turning in her head.

Jaune followed her line of sight out the doorway to his left. There stood the form of Weiss Schnee as Professor Port walked away.

"I've gotta go do something."

His attention came back to Ruby and the brilliant smile she held.

"Thanks for everything Jaune."

She took a few steps closer to him. It was then that he really noticed their height difference. She had to at least be a foot shorter than him.

"You're most welcome."

She leaned close, a pink hue to her face as she stood on her tip toes. A quick kiss to his cheek and she scurried away.

"Bye Jaune," she squeaked meekly with small wave.

She didn't give him the chance to respond as she vanished in a storm of rose petals.

"Bye Ruby," he said to himself.

Jaune found himself laughing. He grinned as he turned to regard the heiress still standing alone on one of Beacon's many rooftops.

His face fell into a contented look.

Time to go talk to the other half of chaos.

Jaune stepped through the doorway and out into the midday air. The sun shone high over Beacon and it made the heiress' hair and pale complexion almost seem to glow.

He came to a stop a few feet behind her.

"Rough day so far?"

She didn't respond at first. She merely sighed and then turned to face him.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Jaune took a seat on the closest bench to him and motioned for her to join him. Her eyes rolled but she sat down beside him nonetheless.

They sat there a while, in the silence of the calm day. They were too high up to hear the ground chatter. It was quite peaceful. He'd like to let it continue, but he came here for more than just peace and quiet.

"Do you wanna tell me about it?"

She huffed.

"Not really. But I suppose I'll give you the short version. Ruby has done nothing to earn her position as leader, she continues to act like a child even though she has been given the responsibility as leader. I think… no, I thought I would be a better fit for the leader position of team RWBY. I talked with Professor Port about it and he believes that I shouldn't worry about being a leader, but being a teammate."

Weiss let out a sigh.

"I'm beginning to think he's right."

Jaune sat there stunned. That was the short version? He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the long one.

"He is right."

Weiss growled. That clearly wasn't the response she was looking for.

"Do you honestly believe that Ruby would make a better team leader than I would?"

"No."

"But you just-"

"You both have the potential to be a great leader. Everyone does. However, some are more suited and prepared for the role than others."

She sent him a chilling stare.

"And you think Ruby's more prepared than me?"

It was his turn to sigh.

"Weiss, not to be mean, but you're very antagonistic when you don't get your way. Hell, the first time we met, you challenged me to a duel because you didn't think you needed an escort to the Mistral Regional Tournament."

"I'm not ant-"

She made to argue, but stopped. Her whole demeanor changed, her posture softened and a spark was lit in those cobalt eyes.

"I didn't tell you about that. Jaune, are you…?"

He chuckled softly.

"Remembering? Yeah, I am. A lot of it is still missing but I get fragments every now and then. Mostly when I'm asleep, they come to me like dreams."

It was like night and day. Her harsh features turned warm and inviting. She adopted a soft smile and scooted closer to him.

"That's wonderful."

Jaune was about to bring back the topic of team RWBY's leader position, but decided to let it lie. Weiss would figure it out on her own. Right now, he wanted to be around her like this.

He hadn't seen her like this since the day they arrived into Beacon. She'd been so familiar with him. She'd acted as she had when he still had his memory. It made him feel whole. Or part of him at least.

"Have you remembered anything else?"

"Yeah, it was a memory of me slaying a pack of Alpha Beowolves for a contract I'd gotten from a mining town called Rivia."

"Ah."

She looked a little disappointed.

"Sorry, I know you were hoping for more."

"It's alright. I'm just happy you've started to remember. It would be nice to…"

She looked at him with such longing eyes. He was tempted to fall into them, and let them take him away.

"...to have all of you back."

There it was. The feelings that crept up on him. Here she was, skin and hair aglow. She really was beautiful. Even the scar that marked her and matched him, it was her. There was a yearning in both of them. One for the other, and one for the truth.

"Yeah, it would be nice."

They sat in a calm contented comfortable silence. It let them think.

"What was with your fight with the boarbatusk? I know you can do better than that."

A light shade of pink rose to her cheeks.

"Don't remind me. Ugh. I totally messed up. It was just Ruby on the sidelines. I was focused on not focusing on her."

Jaune let out a small laugh.

"I see."

She grumbled before sighing in defeat.

"Enough about my fight, what about your? Are you okay?"

He gave her a questioning look.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I killed it no problem."

Just like earlier, her demeanor changed. She was fierce now, passionate and emotional.

"Don't play dumb with me. You forget Jaune, I know you. You were freaking out earlier. I've never seen you fight so viciously."

Images came back to him. Black blood everywhere, the same that stained the clothes he was wearing. The sight of the mangled corpse as it disintegrated on the floor. The panic he felt.

"Yeah," was his only reply.

"Well, I think I know why."

His attention came to her in full. Jaune gestured for her to continue. She nodded.

"Well, you told me something once. Back when we… when you worked for my father. You never talked about your past before you were a witcher or how you came to be one. But there was one time when you told me about your training as a witcher."

She eyes him warily, as if he might break down any second.

He felt fine. Everything was okay.

"You told me about the first trial you faced in witcher training. You were only thirteen then. You and the other witcher applicants were thrown into a forest infested with grimm. Each of you were given a silver sword and nothing more. It was your goal to make it out of the forest alive. Those who did not, failed the trial."

So many had died. Everything was fine.

"You and a few other applicants banded together, and found shelter in an abandoned cabin. You started a fire and waited out the night. Each of you took turns as the guard, sleeping in shifts. But, finally a lone beowulf got through, and it broke into the cabin."

Mercury, blood everywhere. Legs, missing legs. He was fine. Nothing was wrong.

"It killed one of the applicants before you managed to grab your sword. By then it was chaos. The fire had spread and the whole cabin was engulfed inflames."

He could smell it, the ash among the forest. No. he was okay.

"You alone escaped, you'd lost your sword in the cabin fire and were unarmed. It was then that you ran into a beowulf. You, a thirteen year old kid with no aura and no weapon. You took it on, and killed it."

He would die if he didn't kill it. Panic. Fear. Emptiness. All his friends had died.

"You told me about all the fear you held. All the anger and hatred that you used to kill that single beowulf in the woods."

He remembered it. Not every detail, but the facts were seared into his mind.

"You told me it was the day you lost your soul."

The silence that ensued was heavy and thick with the past. Times long gone brought back by her words.

"I figured since you'd lost your memory, fighting the Alpha in class today wouldn't be a problem."

He nodded along, but the words barely reached him.

Witcher. What did it mean to be one? What had he gone through to become what he is now? What hell had he been subjected to?

"Please say something Jaune."

Her eyes were filled with concern and she looked tense. Jaune wasn't sure what compelled him, but he did it anyway.

Jaune fell to his side and let his head rest upon the heiress' lap, his eyes closed.

"Jaune what are y-"

"Stay with me a moment. Okay?"

He opened a single slitted eye and watched as her surprised face turned soft and welcoming.

"Okay."

He smiled back before closing his eye. He shifted so that his back was on the bench and his head was facing up towards the heiress. soft fingers began to run through his long white hair.

Being honest with himself, he wasn't fine. He was the farthest from being fine that a person could be right now.

But here, in this moment, the sun above him, Weiss to keep him company, and the peace of a silent midday, Jaune could let himself believe he was by all accounts fine.

And that was all he needed for now.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this. I was planning on making this chapter wayyyy longer. But after revision and some PTSD over the 16k chapter, I decided to chill at 9k XD**

 **The goal of this chapter was to establish that Jaune, while powerful, has little control over his surroundings and the power figures of the school. Ozpin, Port and the other staff will be testing Jaune throughout his journey in Beacon.**

 **I also wanted to share a bit of Jaunes Witcher training. As well as the fact that he isn't even in control of himself.**

 **As for ships and what not… everything is going exactly according to plan. However I wasn't kidding. I've devised a way to keep White knight shippers and Dragonslayer shippers happy.**

 **Anyway, as always, thanks for reading and apologies for grammatical errors. Let me know what you think in the comments! Take care and see you soon.**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: School will be starting soon. I can feel it's malicious presence looming over me. I have roughly a week left before my life will be once again full of homework and grades. I haven't even started my summer hw, I should probably get on that soon, especially since it's for AP Psychology XD**

 **The point of this, is that once school starts, updates will be sporadic. Well… more so than it already is.**

 **I plan to finish this. No clue when though. I have to admit, this is the first story I've written that I've had a plan for. And I've found writing with a plan is much easier. It's becoming easier and easier to write long chapters and more tempting to as well.**

 **And just to be clear, this will not be a poly-amorous fic or a harem. I was just teasing and messing around last time.**

 **As always, I don't own RWBY or the Witcher series. Enjoy :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Queen of the Castle, King of the Pawns**

"Not bad kid, but you're gonna have to do a lot more than that to take me down." - Qrow Branwen, to Jaune Arc

 **Beacon - Hallways**

"Fearless leader Jaune never came back! Maybe the professor did something to him! Let's shave his mustache!"

It was with Nora's statement that the majority of team JNPR entered their next class. Ren responded casually.

"I'm sure our leader is perfectly fine. He can handle himself. I don't think any shaving will be necessary."

Nora skipped along without a care in the world, as if she hadn't heard him. Perhaps they should be concerned, and a certain professor with immaculate facial hair, sleep with one eye open.

They were a few minutes early, so they took a row of four near the front. Ren sat calmly while Nora decided doing a front flip into her chair from the row behind them was a perfectly good idea.

Pyrrha on the other hand walked as she had always had. Back straight and with an air of humble confidence. However, if one were to look closely, they would see her true reality.

They would notice the weight in her step and the lag in her smile.

She sat down beside Ren, Nora being on the end of the row. They babbled as old friends were supposed to, though most of it was Nora, with just Ren nodding along. She smiled, they were so lively and fun.

However, they were also together. Not, "together _together_ " as Nora would say, but it was unmistakable the bond between them. A bond that would have no room for her. This though didn't bother her, she had just met them, but she got the feeling _Ren and Nora_ had been, _Ren and Nora_ for a long time now. It was more the fact that her partner, the one person she hoped to share a bond like the two beside her had, was similarly entangled with not one other, but three.

Her emerald orbs drifted from the stagnant doorway to the empty seat next to her.

It had been an hour. A whole hour. Where could he be?

Was he alright?

While Pyrrha may primarily excel at combat, she was not lacking in intelligence, nor perceptiveness. She'd seen them clear as day.

She'd first seen his distress. There was something in his pale orbs that failed to come together right. It was like looking at a poorly assembled marble that had previously been shattered. She was sure Ren and Nora had seen it too.

Pyrrha had wanted to help. To say something, anything to make it better. She'd congratulated him, but he'd taken it but deflected the meaning. It hurt, but she knew it was nothing compared to however much he was.

That fight shouldn't have happened. True it was meant as a lesson, and he was in no immediate danger with the professor there. But still, the way their teacher singled out Jaune, the request to speak to him after class, she had a feeling the fight had been fabricated.

Destined from the start.

That was concerning at the very least. But that didn't matter. What she really cared about was him. That had been her moment. The time to show him the partner she was and the friendship she extended.

She'd been ready, but then she saw it. The subtle movement of arms, the looks shared. Pyrrha had watched as Yang Xiao Long held her partner's hand and calmed him down.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous. Pyrrha wasn't sure if she would have held his hand, after all, that was something couples did, but if it helped him, she'd do it.

"Ohhh, what if Jaune has a girlfriend! He could be seeing her!"

She pictured Yang and him, their hands interlocked under the table. She'd seen how they interacted after initiation, could they be together? It would make a lot of sense.

Ren didn't say anything to dispute the speculation, and that made her sink a little bit on the inside. The feeling wasn't born of romantic let down that her strife occurred. It came in the same little box of emotions that wished for a best friend.

It came in the thoughts of insecurities that whispered that she'd be alone. That he'd spend all his time with this girl, whoever she was and leave her as an afterthought.

It came to her in the prospect that she'd faced all her life. Before she had been on a pedestal, and now here she was, just as alone as she had been.

Pyrrha wasn't quite sure what it was, or what it had been. There was something about him, the boy named Jaune Arc that was her partner, that sparked a hope in her.

It was the way he walked, the way he talked. The carelessness of her fame. The amnesia that stole his thoughts. The smile and hidden plans those pale eyes held.

She would have thought that the last few would have made her uneasy, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. Pyrrha Nikos trusted him, fully. It had been but a single day since she had met him in the locker room that morning. But he had ensnared her desire. That desire for a friend, someone closer than anyone else to her.

It hadn't taken long for those feelings to set in. If she was being honest, it had been that skirmish with the beowulfs in the forest that cemented her faith in him.

Pyrrha wanted to slap herself. This really wasn't any of her concern. If he had a girlfriend then he had every right to spend time with her. She was being dramatic, she was being selfish.

Those emerald orbs drifted to the doors once more. Students filed in and out, but none that were him. Three members of team RWBY came to sit down a row below them, the heiress absent. Pyrrha did take note of how oddly upbeat Ruby was, more so than usual.

Those doors stared her down, taunting them with the possibility that he'd walk in at any moment. She sighed and looked away. Class would be starting soon, it was currently 12:27 pm and class began in three minutes.

It was then that she heard it, the creak of poor metal hinges and the slight breeze of displaced air. Her gaze drifted once more to the set of wooden portals that led into the hallway.

Jaune Arc, in his still blood stained uniform walked in, a smile on his face.

Apparently wherever he'd been, it had cheered him up. There was almost no trace left of the pain she'd seen.

However, he wasn't the only one, as he took steps to greet them, she watched as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company follow after him. As hard as it was to tell with that girl's constant cold expression, Pyrrha could swear she saw a slight upwards curve to those desolate lips.

It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. It seemed that Jaune had spent his time with her. There was nothing wrong with that. He was well within his rights to do so. She had no right to feel left out or ignored.

If that were true, why did it bother her so much?

It didn't, but at heart she knew it did. There was also something else that crept its way into her thoughts. An idea that made her blush. Weiss and Yang and Jaune. What if… no, it couldn't be.

But what if?

What if they were, all three of them… she didn't even want to imagine Ruby in that. It had to be just the three older teens.

He took his seat beside her and gave his team a small smile. She returned the gesture, hiding the internal thoughts that scrambled inside her head and taming her blush. Ren nodded and Nora… Nora decided a hug-tackle was necessary.

She looked at him, watched as Nora sat atop him, grabbing his collar and shaking him around. Her eyes drifted to Ren and back to the two below her.

This was her team. Ren and Nora, the package deal. Jaune, her partner and certainly something with the females that surrounded him. It was a mess of emotions and thoughts in her at the moment.

But maybe it would be bearable if he were to talk to her more. This morning he'd been distant, but present. But with them, with team RWBY, he was alive.

However, as she saw Nora and him horsing around, she saw something. Something in his eyes. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but as his pale orbs met her emerald ones, she was sure that it was for them.

And that pleased her more than she thought it would.

* * *

Jaune's gaze turned from Pyrrha and back onto the girl before him.

Jaune wasn't quite sure how to feel at the moment. Nora sat on top of him, her rear resting on his stomach. While a good number of males would have had a reaction to this, Jaune felt nothing.

No that wasn't right. If he felt nothing, that would either make him a enuch or gay, he was neither. He recognized that a female was on top of him and in a suggestive pose, but it was Nora. And while he hadn't known her long, he was sure that there was nothing for him there in the romantic department.

That, and it felt normal. As if having a girl on top of him was natural. It was this fact that told him one thing. He was no stranger to sexual encounters.

How familiar he was with the female body, he wasn't quite sure, but something told him it was quite familiar with him.

"Where have you been? Did Professor Mustache do anything bad to you? Did he touch you anywhere? Here, show us on Ren!"

She leapt to her feet off of him and pointed to her childhood friend.

"What?" Ren monotoned from behind her.

Jaune picked himself off the isle floor and dusted himself off. He righted the fallen chair, and sat back into his seat.

"No Nora, Port didn't do anything to me… or touch me."

His mind roughly drifted to the large man. There was so much animosity and suspicion towards the professor that he briefly pictured a creepy image of him, suggestively beckoning him forth with his pointer finger.

Never in his life had he felt the need to throw up as much as he did now.

"Not yet anyway," the shorter girl interjected, "I don't trust that mustache. If he tries anything I'll shave it off with Magnild."

There was a glint in her eyes that made him slightly concerned.

"Magnhild?"

Ren peeked out from behind the girl.

"Her weapon."

Jaune pictured that giant metal hammer in his mind.

"I see."

There was a small silence after that, the students around them giving them odd looks. He let out an odd chuckle. His team was so weird. There was a quiet guy, there was an off the walls girl, and a champion who wants a friend. Then there was him, an amnesiac with a past that was catching up to him.

What a team they made.

"I don't trust him either. But aside from that, to answer your previous question, I was out on the rooftop just outside Port's class. I ran into Weiss and lost track of time."

It was true.

He'd met Weiss, and then lost track of time. He'd fallen asleep there on her lap. They'd rested there until time was short. Weiss had woken him up, and they'd made their way over to class. They hadn't said much to each other since he awoke. But he felt that was okay.

There were some things that never had to be said, but were always known. The one between him and Weiss was a promise. The promise of always being there for each other, no matter what.

It was something that made sense to him. Something he saw in her eyes. Something he wasn't sure if he could return, but would try to.

Weiss. That name. Just like his, in an old language forgotten by time, her name meant white, just as his meant yellow.

She was special to him, regardless of memories.

"Ohhh, so are you guys like… _together together?_ "

And there it was. The question he asks himself. It was the same question that applied to Yang, just altered. Jaune wasn't oblivious. Especially to his own feelings. He was steadily developing attachments to them.

Which wasn't ideal.

"No, we're just…"

His slitted pale orbs drifted over to the back of her head. She was conversing with Ruby, her white off center ponytail swaying slightly. The words came to him.

"...good friends."

Whether it was true or not, didn't matter. It was what felt right to say.

"Oh okay," Nora accepted.

A grin sprouted on her face.

"But you like her don't you?"

He froze, the prospect of the question sinking in. Did he like her? Or was the knowledge that they had been something before make him think that he did?

Jaune knew he had to answer, or else it'd look weird.

Luckily a green and white blur stormed into the room. Nora's along with everyone else's attention immediately directed at that. Papers flew, and a gust of wind was its trail. It stopped at the teacher's desk at the bottom of the classroom.

There stood a man clad in a white button, a loose yellow tie, a pair of small spectacles perched on his nose, and spiky green hair. In his hand was a coffee mug, which he sipped from every thirty seconds.

"Hello class! I am Dr. Oobleck, and I will be your History Professor!"

The words came out rushed and with harsh syllables. He spoke in a way that one could understand, but comprehending was another matter entirely.

Jaune kept up, the words coming to him normally.

"Today, we will be discussing the Old era of Remnant, to the start of the Modern Era. be sure to take notes and review them, everything will be on the final exam. Is everyone ready?"

Half the students sat there dumbstruck.

"Good let's begin!"

It was with those words that those not paying attention, scrambled for paper and pencil. They weren't even one minute into class and the Doctor took off.

Jaune barely processed the course of the class. In some odd turn of luck, or perhaps fate, he knew everything. Well, not everything in the universe, but everything the man down there was saying in rapid fire was known to him.

The Oldest Era of Remnant, he knew the details, the facts. As a Witcher, he would have thought that knowledge like this would have no precedence to him. He needed only know how to kill, and ask for the lien afterwards. It was what Witchers were best at.

But somehow he knew.

Doctor Oobleck spoke of the times before dust, and he immediately knew the date. He knew when it had been discovered, how it progressed in its usage.

He knew the names of the leaders and warriors that took part in the fight against the grimm. One of those names was his own.

Arc.

He'd come from a long line of fighters that ranged from foot soldiers to heros. His family, his name, had been there since the very beginning.

The rest of class passed without incident. He'd expected this Doctor Oobleck to find a way to single him out. He'd been prepared. If it had been a test of knowledge, Jaune had recalled everything he knew about the Oldest Age in Remnant's recorded history.

However, that never happened. The class passed by and soon he found himself walking out the door, his suspicious eyes looking back to the man with green hair.

Eventually they finally left the classroom's vicinity and he let loose an errant breath he'd been holding.

He now walked the halls, the demands of school life now done for today.

"I didn't understand a word that guy said, he was talking faster than Ruby on a sugar high," Yang commented.

Team RWBY was in front of them, while his own team were behind. They had left together, the group of students feeling a slight connection due to their combined efforts during initiation. It would be dinner time in the next two hours, so until then, they had resolved to go back to their rooms.

He watched as Blake nodded along to her partner's statement.

"I tried! I really tried to keep up!" Ruby whined.

While it had been announced commonly, he knew who it was really meant for. Weiss sighed, but sent the younger girl an understanding smile. The surprise on Ruby's face almost made him laugh.

Jaune didn't know what they were talking about. Doctor Oobleck had been speaking at a reasonable speed. Perhaps it was a Witcher thing.

"So Jaune, classes are over for today, what do you want to do?"

Pyrrha looked to him, the question hanging in between them.

What did he want to do? He wasn't so sure. There was something glaring him in the face. It was the reason he was here in the first place.

The contract.

He keeps forgetting about it. There it is, the promise of money and riches, yet he finds it much akin to an after thought. Something to be left on the back burner.

He was Witcher, and coin was something that he needed, as well as wanted. It was a fact ingrained into him.

So why does he keep sidelining it? His contract is to find this 'Fall Maiden' and protect her. Shouldn't that be his top priority?

He glanced at his partner.

Jaune liked Pyrrha. She was kind, she was calm, and most importantly, she didn't ask questions she wasn't supposed to.

Then there was everything else. How had he forgotten his mission here? How had be been so sidetracked? Was it Weiss, was it Yang? Was it the prospect of regaining his memory.

And then, there was Ozpin. There was Beacon. The headmaster knew something. About him, and likely about the contract. His hands balled up into fists.

If there was something he wanted to do, he'd say talk to Ozpin. Get some answers. Wipe that smug look of the older man's face.

It was at this moment, when he was in thought, thinking of a way to answer Pyrrha's question, that his scroll buzzed.

"One sec," he said, pulling out his scroll.

As if his wishes had been granted, upon the scroll's notifications, was a message. It read thus, 'Would you care to talk? - Ozpin.'

It took him a second. He stared at it, the glowing text upon the holographic screen. And then it hit him. A dark smile spread across his face.

He just about cheered. Finally! He was going to get some goddamned answers. Along with the typed message was a digital map of Beacon and how to get to the headmaster's office.

Jaune had to go right now.

He looked back up to Pyrrha's expectant face. By now Ren and Nora were looking as well. He hadn't realized it, but he'd stopped walking the second he'd seen the message. Team RWBY who were a few paces ahead had noticed their absence and watched him.

"I have to go, I'll see you guys at dinner."

He figured two hours was long enough to get the information he so desired.

"Oh, okay."

Those emerald orbs dimmed. He'd seen them bright and full of life. It shined when she fought. When he had introduced himself.

He felt bad. Somehow him leaving would hurt her. But he needed answers. A decision would have to be made. A choice.

Jaune let out a sigh.

"See you later Jaune."

The words left her mouth. She was letting him go. Yang and Weiss both waved, as did Ruby.

"Catch ya later Jaune Jaune!" Nora called out.

Ren nodded his farewell.

He nodded back and began walking in the direction the map directed him to go. Ozpin, he was inviting him to talk. Jaune wanted to think it was a trap, but he knew it wasn't. There was something in him that trusted Ozpin. It was this odd sensation.

He trusted the man had answers. He trusted that the man knew things about him. Jaune trusted Ozpin in a way that only made sense to those without direction.

The journey took him downstairs and out of the main building. He was soon faced with an open courtyard, and the tallest tower of beacon staring him down. It was the spire which allowed contact with other continents as well as the base of Ozpin's office.

Decades prior, this could have been the main tower in which the King operated from. In that scenario, he'd be the young knight summoned by the lord of the realm for an audience.

He looked to the double doors, and the students who milled in and out of it without a care in the world.

Jaune walked forth calmly, up the pathway, through the double doors and into an elevator. He felt his finger press down on the top floor button. Everything was a hazy monotone. Nothing felt real. His legs shook beneath him and he felt wobbly as the elevator took him up.

Thankfully there was no one else in the elevator to see him like this. He was scared. Not of Ozpin, but of the answers he might find. Of the self discoveries that may happen in the next two hours.

Finally, after the elevator came to a stop, and the feeling of his stomach falling had faded, he'd reached the top. He took a deep breath as he readied himself.

The elevator doors slid open with a quiet ding, and he was met with the sight of the famed Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

The room he entered was spacious and circular. Beneath him was a glass floor that showcased moving clockwork. All around him was the ever present rhythm of ticking. It grated on his nerves.

At the back end of the room, with a window pane view of Beacon's campus behind it, was a clear desk with holographic projections upon it. Sitting behind that desk, was the man himself, the man he'd come to see.

Professor Ozpin.

The older man smiled at him from behind his spectacles, those brown eyes never leaving him for a second.

"Welcome to my office Mister Arc, I do hope this meeting does not inconvenience you."

Jaune walked until he stopped before the man's desk where a simple chair awaited him. Ozpin gestured to it, as if to say, "sit if you please." Jaune sat, his body stiff in the confines of its rest. His fingernails bit into the armrests of the chair. Regardless, he spoke with confidence.

"Not at all."

Silence ensued.

What was he supposed to say next? Where was he supposed to start? There was so much to ask, so much this man knew. Ozpin took a sip of the coffee mug bearing Beacon's crest. When he finished, the headmaster let out a contented sigh, and set the cup down, taking his hands, interlocking them together and resting them upon the table.

"Care for a game of chess?"

The question came to him with surprise.

Chess? Did he want to play chess? What the hell? He'd come for answers, not to play silly games.

He was about to decline the offer when Ozpin spoke first.

"Note that when I said I'd answer your questions back down on the cliffside, I did not specify how I would give them to you."

It was the calm edge in the man's voice that knew. That expected that Jaune would have to play his mind game. It was the sharp but sweet tone that told him he wouldn't get any answers, unless he played a game with the man.

Jaune's eyes trailed to the empty desk, imagining the monochrome board. He knew how to play, chess was a game that he felt was quite familiar to him. He'd played it many times before, but with whom, he had yet to know.

"A game of chess sounds… wonderful."

His words came out stiff and parted. Like every syllable was like chewing on nails. His eyes narrowed with hatred as the man across from him broke into soft laughter and soon, a smug grin.

"Splendid."

Ozpin moved his arms off the table and in front of him, came to life a holographic chess board. Slowly, pieces began appearing on his side.

A red pawn.

What? Chess was usually played with black and white.

A white pawn, a black pawn, a yellow pawn.

A grey pawn, a pink pawn, a dark crimson pawn, and finally a green pawn.

It didn't take long for him to understand. On his left side was the pawn formation of team RWBY and on his right was Team JNPR, his team.

Jaune's eyes left the board and found their target. Ozpin sat smugly, that ever present all knowing smile and eyes that knew too much. He wanted to tear them out. What the hell was this and what was this sick game he was playing at?

He glanced back down to the board. All his pieces had filled in.

A slate grey rook and a white one as well stood at the corners of his side of the board. A pair of black knights with red eyes filled in beside them. One purple bishop, and one dark green bishop were the next to appear in the hierarchy of pieces. Finally, a dull light brown queen, and a white king with pale blue dots for eyes and a red line through its left one, materialized on the two back center squares.

It was him. He was the king.

Wait, then who was the grey piece? He'd assumed that had been him as the color white had already been taken by Weiss.

Jaune looked up at the headmaster once more, the man's face losing its cheer and turning into a neutral expression.

On the opposite side of the board, black and white pawns with red eyes began to fill up the empty spaces.

Grimm.

He expected the higher tier pieces to also resemble grimm, however they were something else entirely. One rook was orange, the other was three colors, brown pink and white. The left knight was a pale green, while the right was a dark grey.

One bishop was a pale crimson with grey outlines and the other was a nasty shade of purple that almost appeared brown. Lastly the queen was a full crimson with golden outlines and the king was a park purple, almost appearing black, with red eyes and white etchings.

What the fuck was this?

The board slowly took on the backdrop of a world map of Remnant, showcasing all four continents.

Jaune was frozen. This game, it wasn't a just game anymore. It was life. A poor mirror with a cracked reflection. He'd have to play this game, where the people he knew were the pawns.

Jaune entertained the idea of leaping across the table and beating the man until he submit the answers by force. However, he knew that wasn't an option. The man had his weapon, there leaning on the side of the desk was Ozpin's cane. He could clearly see the trigger mechanism attatched to it by the handle.

"Here's how this will work. There are sixteen pieces you control."

Ozpin gestured towards them.

"You may ask as many as fifteen questions per game, one for each piece you remove from play. The king must stay, thus only fifteen questions maximum. You must remove how many pieces equivalent to your number of questions at the start of each game. If you remove pawns, you may set up the remaining in any way you wish along the starting line. I will retain all of my sixteen pieces, regardless of how many pieces you remove from your sixteen. In order for me to answer your questions, you must win the game with your remaining pieces."

Ozpin paused to look him in the eyes. Pale on brown as all semblance of pleasantries ceased. It was a cold stared he was faced with. He returned the gesture.

"Then, and only then, will I answer your questions. Is that understood."

He stared for a moment. Took it all in. He looked at the board, he looked at Ozpin. The light from the window pane streaming in and casting a shadow over his face. The light from outside slowing turning orange as night approached.

No longer was it monotone, no longer was it hazy. It was real. Too real.

What did Ozpin want from him? This was obviously some lesson of some kind. What could this man have to teach him?

If he wanted answers, it would seem like he would have to find out.

"Yes sir, I understand."

A smirk came to the headmaster's face once more and Jaune wanted nothing more than to smack it right off.

"Excellent. Now if you will remove pieces according to your number of questions."

Jaune examined the board carefully.

He didn't know how good Ozpin was, but if he had to guess, he'd say that Ozpin was going to be good at this. He wouldn't have picked a game that would make things easy for him to obtain answers.

The obvious choice was to remove some pawns. A lesser man would have tossed all the pawns out, but even Jaune wasn't that careless. He knew the importance of pawns. So he decided on half of them.

Jaune tapped the grey, pink, green, and crimson pawns easily. They each disappeared and on the side of the board, appeared as grave stones, each in their respective colors.

He was left with the four members of team RWBY. He positioned them so they were spaced every other square.

"Done."

Ozpin shot him a curious look.

"Only four questions?"

"Didn't want to handicap myself too much."

Ozpin chuckled.

"Wise choice Mister Arc. Wise choice. You will have the first move, every game we play, you will have the first move."

He nodded and turned his eyes to the board. All he had to do, was win, and four questions were guaranteed to him.

Jaune tapped Blake's pawn, and moved her one space forward.

Ozpin answered in kind by moving the grimm pawn directly diagonal to her forward one.

"Aside from the grimm, do all of them represent people?"

He moved the purple bishop diagonally right until it reached the edge of the board.

"Yes."

Ozpin pressed a few buttons on the holographic table out of his range of sight and soon names sprouted above the pieces.

It wasn't all of them, just the people he knew. His team and Ruby's were obvious, however that grey pawn he'd removed was still a mystery. Ozpin was revealed to be the dark green bishop, and the purple one Miss Goodwitch. The knights were still a mystery as was the right rook, the left one was Beacon Academy.

His name hovered over the king, but the queen beside him still remained unknown. Ozpin's pawns were simply labeled as grimm.

"As you meet the people in this game, I shall reveal their names to you."

Ozpin moved another grimm pawn forward, this one two spaces forward but supported by the previously moved grimm pawn.

He didn't respond to Ozpin's statement, and merely carried on with the game. They made move after move after move. It had been at least seven turns in and neither had lost a piece yet.

Ozpin was good, that much was clear. He'd negated all attacks and or openings he could have taken by the threat of losing too much for such a small gain.

The man smiled at him, but it was not smug or cruel, simply happy. As if this game actually gave him enjoyment.

"You're good Mister Arc, I had expected nothing less from you."

Ozpin then proceeded to take the first kill of the game.

Himself.

The dark green bishop faded from the board and Ozpin's orange castle took its place. Another stone marker appeared beside his already deceased pawns, the new grave bearing Ozpin's name.

"But I have been playing this _game_ much longer than you have."

Jaune attempted to retaliate.

He failed.

Soon Ozpin's grey knight came in to take Yang's place. The yellow pawn faded from the board as another grave rose from the table.

His eyes widened.

This was just a game. Yang was still alive. Yet even so, there was a panic in his heart, a beating frenzy that went wild every time he glanced at the miniature grave with her name etched across its stone face.

The game went by quickly after that. He was reckless. He was sloppy. He took too many risks. Jaune had managed to take Ozpin's pair of rooks, a knight, seven pawns and a bishop. However, he was left with Ruby's pawn, Beacon's rook, one of the black knights and himself.

He was cornered. His pieces were too far away from him, he'd sent them out in one last assault. It was only Ruby by his side.

"Check."

Ozpin's crimson queen slid into the diagonal row that he was in. He had one option. Move Ruby's pawn forward so that it would take the hit instead of him.

Jaune's hand motioned to move her pawn. He hesitated, he paused, but only for a moment. Jaune completed his action and the red pawn moved forward.

Ozpin wasted no time in taking it. The red piece being snuffed out as the tall crimson queen stood where she had been.

Jaune lashed out with his piece, happily killing Ozpin's queen as she joined the headmaster's graveyard.

After that, it didn't take long for the game to end.

"Checkmate."

All his pieces had been taken. Beacon had fallen. Ruby killed. Everyone killed. Ozpin was a better player, that had become quite apparent after the first couple turns. But he was at an even greater disadvantage with his four pawns missing.

Jaune had noticed. During this game, he'd needed those pawns. They seemed insignificant, but they were the one's that took the hits. They guarded and protected the truly powerful pieces.

Ozpin had used his masterfully.

There was no doubt in Jaune's mind, that if he'd had those pawns, he would have lasted longer, perhaps gotten closer to winning.

"Well played."

Jaune's voice was hollow, but not defeated.

Ozpin grabbed his cup of coffee, stood from his seat and walked to look out the window. Oddly, the man spoke with sincerity.

"Yes, very well played. Would you like to go again? We may play however many games as you so desire, you need only ask. Anytime too, contact me through the scroll number I messaged you with and I will see if I am available."

Nothing made sense.

"Why do you care? Why would you allow me to play as many games as I want?"

Ozpin sighed and turned around to face him.

"Contrary to whatever you believe, I want you to win. I want you to know what I know," he took a sip, "But you must do it yourself. You must win the game."

Jaune felt his blood boil.

How the hell was he supposed to win? Ozpin was better than him, and he had a handicap if he wanted his questions answered. This was bullshit.

He stood from his seat so fast that the chair he sat in moments ago, tipped over.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to win? If you really want me to know, why don't you just tell me?"

He was surprised by the amount of hatred in his voice. He was seething with rage and frustration. Ozpin was a mystery. A question mark that liked to play mind games with him.

The headmaster sat through his exclamation and simply smiled that all knowing smile.

"I will not tell you because you aren't ready to hear it. There is a goal, and you must reach it. Either you win the games and slowly question me, or you reach this goal and I will tell you everything."

Jaune stood and stared for a moment before breaking into hysterical laughter.

Nothing was easy. Nothing will be easy. If he wanted easy he should just become a farmer or something.

But he couldn't. He was a Witcher, he was Jaune Arc. He'd lost his memory and now all he had were scraps and remnants, and the only person who knew the truth of his past, or seemed to, was withholding the information from him.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what this goal is?"

Ozpin grinned through a sip of coffee.

"I'm afraid not."

Jaune let out a heavy sigh. He picked up the chair off the floor and sat back down. Ozpin followed suit, sitting down and facing him.

"So Mister Arc, care for another game?"

Ozpin pressed a button and all the pieces reset. The headmaster's brown orbs burned into him, the question issued as a challenge.

Jaune couldn't help it, he took it.

* * *

"Where did Jauney go?"

Yang sat across from the three remaining members of team JNPR as they ate in the dining hall. They had an unofficial bond between the other team. Yang didn't mind, it had started as a connection to Jaune, but she was finding the rest of team JNPR to be enjoyable people.

"He must have a girlfriend that's not any of you!"

Nora's arm shot out and pointed to them, Ruby, Weiss, and eventually her, individually.

"If it was one of you, you'd be missing from the table and would have left shortly after he did! We have to find out who she is!"

Especially Nora, she was excitable and probably one of the most entertaining people she's ever met in her life. Case and point, right now.

"Uh, Nora, what's your obsession with Jaune having a girlfriend?"

Her little sister had perked up, a blush still on her cheeks from being implicated as a potential girl that Jaune would date.

It was honestly adorable. Weiss hadn't been fazed at all, much like herself.

"Well, where else could he be going? He's a handsome teenage boy, what else has he got to do other than have a girlfriend and doing stuff with her?"

Ruby looked horrified.

"Stuff?" the younger girl asked meekly, her cheeks red.

" _STUFF!_ " Nora confirmed.

"What stuff?"

Everyone but her partner, who had her head buried in a book, turned to look where the voice had come from. Yang's lilac eyes met the tall frame of Jaune Arc. His eyes met hers first, as she was closest to him, sitting on the outside of the group, with Ruby in between her and Weiss.

He looked to her as if she would have the answer, and she did.

"The stuff we get up to when no one's looking," she said with a wink.

Yang watched in satisfaction as he smirked at her, mischief in his eyes. He didn't respond though, probably on the account that Weiss was present.

Nora's grin widened.

"So it was one of you!" she cheered arm extended pointing at Yang.

She laughed and smiled as he slid into a seat beside Pyrrha which incidentally led to him sitting across from her. Yang's eyes lingered over him.

"If only, but no, I'm just teasing."

She had said the first part softly, so softly that she was sure no one had heard her. However, he seemed to as his pale eyes turned to her.

"Awww."

Yang almost giggled at the way Nora's voice seemed to die. As if she'd crushed all her hopes and dreams by denying that they were together.

"Yang's joking aside, what stuff?"

Nora perked up once more, as if all sadness that had emanated off her was instantly converted into happiness.

"Oh we were just talking about all the _stuff_ you and your mystery girlfriend get up to. TELL US NOW!"

Jaune chuckled at that.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have a girlfriend."

Yang wasn't disappointed, and she knew for a fact that Ruby wasn't either. She was sure the same applied to Weiss.

It was so odd. This little dance all of them had. Yang glanced at the two girls beside her. Weiss had prior attachments according to Jaune, and Ruby just kinda ended up liking him. So where did this leave her?

She'd kissed him last night. And she'd be lying to herself if she told herself she didn't enjoy it. Yang was a take charge kind of girl. But there was this little spark of heat that lit within her when she thought of their kiss.

Of him pressing her against the wall, no escape, only him.

Jaune was so different than who he'd been five years ago. It was like night and day. The boy she'd known had been shy, timid, and awkward. This Jaune however, he was… experienced. And she kind of liked that.

But then she'd ended it.

And she was right to. She was riding off of the relief of finally finding him. She'd promised herself she wouldn't do or say anything until she had been sure, and last night, he'd given that final assurance.

Yang looked to him, the mystery that had haunted her for five years now sat across from her. He talked with Nora and everyone else, telling them about where he'd been.

She wanted to feel those feelings come back. Not just of lust or desire, if she was honest, there was plenty of that already there. Yang had no doubt in her mind that she was attracted to him. She wanted to feel love, and be sure that it was real.

Real as it had been five years ago. Only then would she fully pursue him. First and foremost, he had come into her life again as Ruby's friend, Ruby's crush. For now, she would let her sister have first dibs.

But if he managed to make her fall in love with him again…

Her lilac gaze found him again. He was smiling, amused at something Pyrrha had said. His pale orbs soon found hers as he noticed her looking. Jaune shot her a soft glance and a simple smile.

...she wouldn't hold back.

* * *

He'd played three games with Ozpin. All of them ended the same way.

With failure.

Jaune had tried taking out various pieces seeing which pieces he could afford not to use. He'd have to take something else out next time. He needed to win. He needed answers.

But he didn't want to think about that right now.

All of that business with Ozpin made him want to throttle someone. At the moment, that was something he'd like to avoid.

Jaune sat on his bed, still in the bloodstained clothes of today. He wanted change, but into what? His armor was all torn up, the only thing left was his leather pants. He figured that would be alright.

He began unbuttoning his vest and soon moved on to his white shirt. When there was nothing but his skin, he fumbled with his pants.

Pyrrha was on her bed doing homework facing away from him. She'd already changed into her night clothes.

As for Ren and Nora, they were locked in an epic game of slapjack.

While everyone was busy, he changed out of his uniform and into his leather pants quickly. It wasn't an uncomfortable issue on his end. In fact he couldn't care less if they saw anything, it was more how they would feel. That put into question how many people in the past had seen him undressed and why he was so comfortable with that. A thought for another time.

Jaune proceeded to put the clothes into the washing machine. Beacon housing sure was amazing. Though he would take the Schnee Mansion over this anyday. It wasn't anything he remembered directly, but a feeling of comfort that he got when thinking of that place.

He walked back to his bed and sat down, passing Pyrrha once more. The first time she hadn't noticed but now she had. Her head came up from the assigned work and on to him.

His partner. He didn't know how he felt about her yet.

She was kind, caring, and an overall amazing person. He had the feeling that she would care for him, protect him and fight for him.

Jaune could tell by the way she looked at him, by the way her emerald eyes shined best when she talked with him.

There had been that moment, when he left to go to Ozpin's office. She'd given him such a pleading look.

And then at dinner, Pyrrha had kept shooting glances. Sure they were quick, and slight. But he had eyes like no one else. He'd seen the subtle movement of her head, the slow revolution of her eyes as they moved from something normal and mundane to his form.

It was just like she was looking at him right now.

Her emerald orbs observed him, they were alight once more.

She was the first to speak.

* * *

"You changed?"

There he was, shirtless. Sure she'd seen him like this before. Once during that night in the ballroom. Twice last night, but it had been dark and brief.

But now, she got a good look at him.

"Yeah, wanted to get out of those bloody clothes."

And she liked what she saw. A slight pink rose to her cheeks.

"Ah I see."

"Yeah, just wish there was more to change into. All I have is my armor, and that's all torn up thanks to initiation."

There was a silence between them. All day, he'd spent time focusing on other people, but now that they were here, and she could easily gain his attention, she couldn't hold it for her own.

What was wrong?

This was her opportunity to get closer to her partner. To solidify the friendship and companionship she so desired. A friendship, that was all. Right? That question had lingered in her head as today's events unfolded.

The certainty of wanting a friend had only grown within her, however she questioned whether a new desire was blossoming.

"You know I noticed."

Huh? What was he talking about? She just looked at him, no words leaving her mouth. Jaune took that as a signal to continue.

"I noticed that look in your eye."

Oh. It must have been when he left after Oobleck's class, or maybe during dinner. Pyrrha wanted to smack herself, she'd let him see how desperate she was.

"I don't really know what it's about, but I think I can guess."

Pyrrha closed the textbook in front of her and sat on the edge of her bed in order to face him. He spoke in low tones, as if to keep this between them as Ren and Nora continued their card game.

"I know I spend a lot of time around Weiss, Yang, and Ruby. And I suppose that might feel daunting to you. As if there's no room for you."

Those pale slitted pupils bore into hers.

"Am I right?"

Somehow he'd nailed it. He'd gotten it right on the mark. A bright blush came to her cheeks and she looked away, finding that the floor was much more interesting.

"Yeah."

Another silence came to rest between them. It was neither awkward or comfortable. It was stagnant and never ending, like both parties were pondering what to say next.

"I think that might be for the best."

What? What was he saying? Pyrrha felt herself crumble inside.

"Before you get upset hear me out."

She looked up at him, feigning a smile.

"You're my partner. I think, there shouldn't be room made for you, I think you and I should have something separate for ourselves. A whole room to ourselves. If that makes sense. If you want to join the madness that are my friends, then be my guest, but know that you and I are partners now. So that means we have our own little group."

Those words. Those promises. She'd love nothing more than to be friends with everyone, but she knew deep down his offer of partnership meant more. This was what she had always wanted.

"Granted, this is the first day, so it will take time for me to get to know you and for me to trust you completely. But as it stands, on the battlefield, I trust you completely. We have to…"

Her partner stood from his seat and grabbed onto her hand. He held it gently and looked her in they eyes, that hold slowly forming into a handshake.

"...because that's what partners do."

She took in every detail, every strand of white hair. The slight glow in his pale blue eyes. The scars that covered his flesh. She let out a soft giggle.

"I think that would be wonderful Jaune."

It was then that he let her hand go and moved to sit beside her. She felt his weight lower the bed and thought of how it would be to have another person sleep beside her. That train of thought led to a bright blush on her cheeks.

They sat there for a bit, the silence of a budding friendship coming into a comfortable one.

"Well then Pyrrha, oh trusted partner of mine…"

He looked to her, amusement in his eyes.

"Yes?"

He really was something else.

"...you wouldn't happen to have an extra shirt? Would you?"

And then she found herself laughing uncontrollably. He looked at her, confused, but still amused. Through teary eyes and uneven breathes she peered at the black hoodie hanging out of her dresser.

 _Pumpkin Pete_ had sent it to her as a gift for representing them. She'd never worn it as it had been far too big for her, but for Jaune it'd be perfect. She'd brought it with her on a whim, but it would seem destiny had played a part in this.

She stood from the bed and walked to the wooden dresser containing the article of clothing. Her head spun to regard him, a spark in those emerald eyes.

And with a grin, she said, "I think I have something perfect for you."

* * *

 **A/N: Yo… so that concludes day one of Beacon. Jaune went through some PTSD, got closer to Ruby and Weiss. Appeased his partner and got a new hoodie.**

 **Yes, it is the Pumpkin Pete's hoodie just to clarify. There's always that one person who just doesn't connect the dots.**

 **I want to talk a little about Pyrrha. She came to beacon solely because she was looking for a friend. Sure there might have been other reasons, but first and foremost, it was to meet new people.**

 **On the outside, Pyrrha is the "invincible girl" but inside she's just another girl looking for a friend. Someone desperate with high expectations. She'd interacted with Jaune in the locker room and as his partner in intuition. She's already sort of attached herself to him as her friend.**

 **Didn't she do the same in canon when she picked him out of the sky with her spear?**

 **This was more of a talking, Ozpin related chapter with Pyrrha moments. Pyrrha and Jaune will get closer, simply by the fact that they live together in the same dorm and the bond they share as partners.**

 **I have plans, but I shall not reveal them. The end pairing I can guarantee is not Jaune and Pyrrha**

 **As for Ozpins's shit, oh buddy is this fun. I hope the color coding for the pieces were easy enough to determine who's who. Do try to guess, it'd be fun to see who gets it right.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading. Apologies for grammatical errors, let me know what you think in the comments, and have a good day… or night. Bye! Also fuck school. I am an A student, but I'm also a lazy piece of shit.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello there, it's been a while. I kinda miss writing. Thanks for all of you who hung in there. I know this chapter isn't very long, but It's more just a way to get back into the swing of things while doing the least amount of serious plot development possible.**

 **Hope you guys can forgive me :P**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy. And as always, I own neither RWBY or the Witcher series. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Goal**

"What? No... NO! You stay away from him! You can't have him! Run Jaune! RUN!" - Elaine Arc, to Jaune Arc

 **Beacon - Hallways**

Eight weary souls trudged out of Doctor Oobleck's classroom, however, one of them seemed perfectly fine. Seven weary souls it would seem instead.

"How are we supposed to keep up?"

Ruby slouched down even lower, a dark cloud hung over her head. Clutched in her hand, was a multitude of papers covered in writing. On the top right corner of the front page was a glaring scarlett C minus.

Jaune empathized with her, but he wasn't sure he could quite understand her frustrations. It seemed for everyone else but him, Oobleck was speaking at an inhuman pace. The lectures he heard clear as day, were an amalgamation of sounds and syllables to his friends.

He raised his own collection of papers, looking once more at the beaming scarlett A. Just as he excelled in Port's class, Oobleck's wasn't much of a stretch for him. If one really thought about it, History was really about memorization and the ability to interpret and critically think about the material being taught. For him, this was nothing. His years in Witcher training must have been hell for him to stroll through Beacon's education program.

Today they had gotten back the first essays they'd submitted. If it was any indication of what the rest of the year was going to be like, then Jaune had nothing to worry about. Ruby on the other hand…

His eyes trailed back to the small girl a few feet from him.

He had faith. Shaky faith, but faith all the same.

Yang, sensing her little sister's distress, put an arm around her shoulder and smiled.

"I don't know, but it'll get better. We just have to get used to his… _unique_ teaching style. Right guys?"

There was a groan like agreement that came from three eighths of the group. The other five contained Ren, Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and himself.

He'd seen Ren's scores, the quiet boy had gotten a B plus. Considering the scores of their peers, that was pretty good. Jaune supposed there were some perks to have known Nora that long. He bet Oobleck's speed was child's play to the other boy. He supposed it still must sound like gibberish, but it would seem Ren was more then well acquainted with gibberish.

As for Weiss, unsurprisingly she'd gotten an A as well. Gibberish or not, she'd always find a way. From the gaps that littered his memory, there was a fact about the heiress that drifted into his thoughts.

She craved perfection.

It didn't matter if it was something as simple as having the best handwriting, or slaying monsters, she had to be the best.

He gave the heiress a short glance. Maybe it was a returning memory, or perhaps he was just getting to know her again. It had been some time since he awoke on Beacon's airship.

While Jaune didn't know much about Blake, he did know she was well read. And from the brilliant A on her own paper, it would seem that was enough.

Pyrrha, invincible as she was in the ring, was not perfect. She'd gotten an A minus. Which was still great, he wasn't the type to think that only a perfect score was all that mattered. In fact, her essay was amazing, they'd gone over each other's the night before. He supposed that Oobleck just noticed some small issues.

Jaune thought the essay was fine, but he wasn't a teacher, not his call.

Though the group had walked far away from Oobleck's classroom, Jaune found himself looking back in its general direction. It had been a full school week since the start of their term at Beacon, and the hyperactive doctor had yet to single him out. It would seem since his chess games with Ozpin had started, the teachers had relaxed their presence of ambiguous potential opposition.

Port rambled, and he would tune the old huntsman out.

Oobleck hadn't done anything abnormal to him... yet. Jaune internally scoffed. Best not question his blessings.

The teams soon reached their dorms, Jaune standing with JNPR and team RWBY across from them. Just as they were about to depart into their respective rooms, the intercom came to life with the stern voice of Glynda Goodwitch.

"Attention first years, a reminder, your combat classes will officially be starting Monday, take this weekend as time to prepare for your upcoming class. After the first combat classes on Monday, the sparring arenas will be open to the first years. That is all."

Nora began bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Oh! I get to smash some people! I can't wait!"

Jaune and everyone else would have questioned that statement a week ago, but now it was just normal Nora. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign of their friendship or something concerning.

Yang smiled, her eyes alight.

"Me too! It's been so long since we were allowed to let loose, all this paperwork is killing me."

Pyrrha nudged his side, a smirk on her lips.

"I could use a good spar."

In the dialect of Pyrrha Nikos, that meant he'd be the one participating in her spar. Jaune found that he didn't have much objection to that. Yang was right, as relaxing and low key as paperwork was, it wasn't his style. He was a Witcher at heart after all, he needed to feel his blood racing. He needed the rush of excitement as his blade clashed with another's.

"As could I."

Her emerald eyes sparked more than usual and he felt himself anticipating the fight even more. There was a part of him that longed to test his training against that of the "Invincible Girl's."

"Hey Jaune!"

The voice of Ruby Rose caught his attention as he turned to look at her. She bounced back and forth from foot to foot in elation and gave him a confident smile.

"You remember when we met and I asked if we could spar, and you said yes?"

Had he said yes to that? So much had happened in the week. The moments just after his awakening seemed so distant now.

Still, he couldn't say no to Ruby. It was something of an indulging habit that he'd gotten accustomed to over the past couple days. That, and her smile after he'd do something for her was something Jaune enjoyed receiving.

Slowly the feeling of nostalgia had washed away in lieu of new feelings. One's tied directly to the younger girl, not the proxy she had once been.

A sense of newfound fondness within him, he replied.

"Yeah Ruby, I remember."

He paused, a smirk forming on his lips.

"I'll be sure to give you a hand up after I mop the floor with you."

A smirk of her own sprouted on to her features. It was like watching a young flower bloom into a shotgun and you'd been caught smelling the roses.

"Oh we'll see about that Jaune. My baby's pretty powerful."

His eyes held strong against hers as the air turned competitive. If there was anything Jaune had learned in the past couple days regarding Ruby Rose, it was that she loved a good fight. And when it came down to her own fights, she could be just as competitive as everyone else, if not more so.

Suddenly Ruby's eyes widened and she gasped.

"I no! I forgot to buy more bullets after initiation!"

But Ruby was still Ruby, no doubt about that.

However, that reminded him. He needed to buy a sparring sword for combat classes. Crocea Mors was out of the question for obvious reasons and Jaune had talked to Weiss earlier about Mortem Argentium.

It was a sword specifically designed to slay grimm and while he could use it in a mock fight, much like he had when he'd first met Weiss, it was something he was opposed to.

He'd much rather have a seperate sparring sword.

Weiss said that it was a waste of lien, and he knew she was right. Still, it was something he wanted. There was an odd feeling of keeping his two swords safe. They were a link to his past, and if one of them were to break, he would be most...

...displeased.

"Agh, I'll have to make a trip down to Vale."

He would as well. They could go together.

Huh, why not.

"How about tomorrow?"

All eyes turned to him, including a curious pair of silver orbs.

"I need to go into Vale for an errand of my own, why don't we go together tomorrow? Does ten work for you?"

The air turned stale and awkward. As if to make it worse everyone looked back to Ruby for her reply. Under everyone's attention her cheeks began to show color.

"I uh… just us? Together?"

She only let those words out before she stopped entirely, the hallway slipping into an uncomfortable silence as she looked at anything but him. Ren coughed quietly and Nora giggled beside him.

"Yes?"

It didn't look like anyone else needed to go down to Vale. Jaune was tempted to just leave for his room. This was way weirder than it had to be.

He looked to the other members of team RWBY for help.

Weiss rolled her eyes and refused to meet his stare. Blake gave him a blank look for a second, then went straight back into the novel she always carried with her.

Finally he came to Yang. The blonde gave him an apologetic look with a shrug before turning to Ruby, and flicking her on the side of her head.

The younger girl let out a small squeak before giving her response.

"YES! I'D LOVE TO!"

With that announcement, a blur of red escaped into the confines of her room, leaving seven mildly startled teens outside in the hallway showered in rose petals.

After a few seconds of silence a muffled screech and the phrase, "stupid stupid stupid," came from the other side of the door. Finally there was a dull thump, and then nothing else.

Jaune, along with everyone else looked to Yang.

"Heh, that's uh…"

She wouldn't meet any of their eyes.

"That's pretty normal."

Nora wore a shit-eating grin as she peered from behind Ren.

"Right."

More silence. Yang sent him one last apologetic smile.

"I better check on her. See you around guys," she paused to address him with a smirk, "lady killer."

And with that, she followed after her darling little sister and escaped into the room. Blake trailed after the blonde instinctively as her head was still buried in a book.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long exhale.

"You okay there Weiss?" Pyrrha asked.

The white haired heiress didn't even look up as she responded.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need a moment to accept that she's my leader."

Pyrrha looked like she was trying to suppress a giggle as she replied.

"Oh, I'll leave you to it then."

Pyrrha turned to enter their own dorm and looked to him.

"You coming Jaune?"

He regarded Pyrrha's question, but soon his eyes trailed back to the heiress.

Jaune felt for her.

He may not know her as well as he once did, but he knew enough. This entire week had been a big change for her. She was normally the one in charge, and to be second fiddled never felt good.

Even worse when the first fiddle didn't have as much experience in literally everything.

It was humbling.

And for Weiss, humility was never one of her strong points.

Over the week he'd seen her make leaps and bounds to be more accepting and accommodating of Ruby. Still, it must be hard on her.

He made a decision.

"I think I need a moment as well."

It wasn't a total lie. Ruby's antics really were quite… interesting. And interesting things took time to process.

Pyrrha chuckled at that and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, but don't take too long."

With those parting words, she left the dwindling group. It wasn't long before Nora got bored.

"Come on Ren! The drama's over, let's go play video games!"

Jaune watched semi-amused as Ren was dragged away by the collar into their room. He waved goodbye to Jaune silently and shut the door on his way in.

It was just them now.

Him and Weiss.

She finally looked up from her silent catharsis and motioned for the door.

"I'll see you later Jaune."

"Weiss wait."

Her hand on the doorknob, she turned to look at him. In her eyes was a feeling he'd grown familiar with.

"Yes Jaune?"

As if Ruby Rose no longer bothered her. As if being leader was no longer her ambition. As if the hallway was a pocket dimension reserved only for them.

She spoke as if nothing else mattered but what he had to tell her.

And that gave him more satisfaction than any memory ever could.

"Oh, I just noticed that you used a lot of dust with Myrtenaster during initiation."

Her hand left the door knob and she spun around to face him fully.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go with us to Vale tomorrow, perhaps refill your dust storage."

She rolled her eyes and shifted into an annoyed stance.

"Jaune, I came to Beacon with literal crates of dust, I think I have enough in storage."

Her shoulders fell and she turned away for the door.

She'd wanted more.

He could do that.

"But what if I really want you to come along?"

She halted once more, her hand on the doorknob.

"Plus it never hurts to be over-prepared, also… I feel like I haven't gotten to talk to you much since our first day. And I…"

He thought about what he wanted to say.

"I kinda miss talking to you."

It was quiet between them for a moment. Neither spoke until Weiss, without turning around, whispered her answer into the wood of the door.

"Me too."

Her response, while barely audible, was loud and clear to him. A faint curve came to his lips.

Weiss turned her head so that she could see him. She gave him a gentle smile.

"I'll see you at ten."

Her white hair soon disappeared behind the door and he was left alone in the hallway.

It had been a simple conversation, and an even simpler offer. Then why did it feel like he was making negotiations with a terrorist.

The pressure that had been building in his conversations with Weiss had faded over the week. As if she had gradually let go of the guy he'd once been or at least repressed her feelings deep enough that it no longer affected how she treated him.

Now the pressure had turned into a sort of anxiety.

She was no longer predictable, and that was honestly scary.

Jaune hadn't received any new memories via his dreams since the one where he'd met Weiss for the first time. It had been frustrating the first couple mornings, waking up with nothing. But by now he'd just accepted that it would take time.

However, for Weiss, it would seem his lack of resurfacing memories had left her slightly indifferent to him. He suspected that unless he told her he was remembering things, or that he was in love with her and meant it, she was going to remain indifferent.

That was less than ideal.

Maybe she's tired of getting her hopes up, or maybe it's a defence mechanism. Either way, there was something in him that disliked it very much.

Perhaps the trip into Vale could bring things back to the way they were.

Jaune let out a sigh he'd been holding, and turned back to his own dorm room. He grasped the handle and was about to turn it, but then paused.

All these thoughts on memories.

It had been something he hadn't thought much of in a few days. All of this now reminded him of something he'd been neglecting since his first day.

The contract.

Somewhere along the line, he'd gotten so distracted by everyone. It came to a point where simply being with everyone put the contract and the Witcher life far from his mind.

It didn't end there though.

He was also being negligent of another important task.

Figuring himself out.

Sure he couldn't control how fast his memories came back to him. But he could take some matters into his own hands. Beacon had a library, and technology that held a wide database. It would be so easy to look his name up, or search for his family.

So why hadn't he?

In fact he passed by the library everyday on his way to class.

The question held him in his spot.

What was he doing?

He could be doing so much more. He could go visit Ozpin right now. He could go to the library and figure things out. It had been so important to him a few days ago, so what happened?

The question now hung in the air.

He had to make a choice.

Jaune felt his grasp around the handle begin to slacken.

As he was about to pivot on his heels and walk to the library, the door to his room swung open fast enough to displace the air in front of him.

Standing in the doorway was a smiling Pyrrha Nikos in her casual clothes, a simple beige tank top and black sweatpants. Her emerald eyes whispered something to him.

Behind her, Ren sat in a bean bag chair, his scroll held like a controller in his hands as Nora was setting up a projector.

His feline eyes drifted back to Pyrrha, her positivity unwavering.

"I said don't take too long," she teased, coming to lean against the doorframe.

He had to go.

There were important matters that needed to be taken care of.

"Come on, we need another player for team JNPR's game night."

Once again, behind her, the projector Nora setup blared to life showing the title screen for 'Marbles vs. Catcom Xtra-Infinite.' A smile cracked on Ren's normally stoic face as Nora "whooped," and did a backflip.

"I… uh…"

He had to tell her no.

Pyrrha seemed to pick up on his intent and smirked.

"No way Jaune, you're not disappearing to Oum knows where tonight. You're going to have fun with us and celebrate our first week at Beacon."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside, closing the door swiftly to halt his escape.

"But P-"

"No buts Jaune."

She led him to a seat near the projector, and she sat down beside him. Pyrrha pulled out her scroll, and he found himself doing the same as Ren and Nora explained how the game worked.

What was he doing?

He wouldn't get any answers if he kept this up.

But as Pyrrha leaned back in her seat, her shoulder steady against his, a match between Nora and Ren started. The air grew cozy and Pyrrha's presence was almost hypnotic. The flashes on the projection filled him with excitement.

Within two minutes, he was cheering wildly as Nora dealt a forty hit combo directly into Ren's fighter's face.

What was he doing?

He was having fun.

* * *

High up in the headmaster's office, the staff of Beacon congregated late at night.

"Tell me Peter, how has Mister Arc been doing in your class this week?"

Peter Port, Bartholomew Oobleck, and Glynda Goodwitch all stood somewhere in the office. Ozpin sat calmly behind his desk awaiting his colleagues answer.

Peter Port, looking out the window, turned to address the Headmaster.

"He's proven himself to be an exception ally, on the first day he tore that alpha beowolf to shreds with his bare hands. I'm sure once he regains his memory, he'll get a kick out of the whole student life he's been living."

Ozpin smiled at the praise for his pupil.

"That he will."

Ozpin's gaze lands on the next professor, no, doctor.

"And you Bart?"

The green haired man practically teleported front and center to his desk.

"Truly he his a gifted young man. The training, trials, and tribulation were clearly well absorbed. His knowledge of history rivals some of the best teachers I know."

Ozpin nodded.

"Good."

Internally, he felt the need to say, ' _as expected.'_

Bartholomew Oobleck zipped back to his previous position. Ozpin turned to Glynda, his eyes asking a question she could read.

"Yes, I have everything ready. Come Monday we'll see the extent of his memory loss."

"Perfect as always Glynda."

She nodded her respect as she too resumed her previous position.

Ozpin closed his eyes.

The image of a small blonde boy with vibrant blue eyes came to mind. Soon the image was distorted into a tall teenager with long white hair and pale blue eyes.

He'd come so far.

"Sir, did Mister Arc visit you today?"

Ozpin opened his eyes and regarded Glynda's question with a wild smile. His spectacled gaze shifted to the empty chess board in front of him.

"No… he didn't."

* * *

 **A/N: And so my returning chapter comes to a close. I really hope you guys liked it. I'm going to try to update more and start writing for this again. No promises though. You'll likely get another chapter after this one though. So… yay!**

 **As I said earlier, this was supposed to be a sort of filler chapter. Something for me to warm up on and still progress the story.**

 **However, I was quite happy with how it turned out.**

 **We got to see the result of Yang's platonic stance.**

 **We got to see Ruby's increasing and building crush.**

 **We got to see Weiss' attempts to try to keep everything together.**

 **And finally, we got to see how Jaune had progressed with his team.**

 **I'm not sure if I portrayed it correctly last time I was writing for this, but I wanted to convey a slow internal struggle within Jaune. It was the contrast of his desire for the past, but also the promise of the present.**

 **That's why I set this chapter a school week afterwards, so you could see more clearly the effects of the causes that took place last chapter.**

 **I think since everything was crammed into day 1, initiation and the day after, it was rushed and the weight of choices and actions felt very flat.**

 **I'm gonna try to stay away from that and make actions feel more weighted and with more consequence.**

 **And as always, Ozpin knows things, as does all the staff. I can't wait to get to combat classes on Monday, that'll be fun to write.**

 **I'm probably gonna go through my previous chapters and clean them up a bit. There's some errors that just irritate the heck out of me.**

 **Anyway, that's all I have to say. It's 2:57 am at the time I'm writing this, and it's a school night. I need sleep.**

 **Leave a comment if there's anything I can do better. And as for ships, no one's out of the race yet. It was just a more Weiss centered chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading, take care!**


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